This one was obtained very late after having no choice but to remove certain apps from my IOS device to save space. Another one that took up so much space will be the stuffs under the Others category. I don't know what those stuffs are. Maybe I'll have to check after this blog post but it may be better if I have a new IOS device to continue on in the future.
As of the present time, there are tons of songs to play through including the DLCs which have still been on-going although there aren't so much songs in comparison to Project Diva series. It may be better that way on the IPad as the screen may be almost too small for the smartphones or something but it shouldn't be a problem playing games on them.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Mushihimesama for IOS obtained
Perhaps, that was really all the Cave shmup games were listed in the Asian Games on Demand on Xbox Live Marketplace that most of those were released in Japan only. However, there's an IOS global release where it can be playable outside Japan. Unfortunately, there are flaws in this one. The graphics are in low-res form although the non-in-game graphics are in HD. Also, there's a lack of additional game modes like other Cave shmup games on mobile devices have, that is, the games ported from the arcades to mobile devices of course. Not even the sequel on IOS has those features as well.
Extra stuff to say from here. There was a re-release of the sequel on IOS as well as Android but it turned out to be a serious disaster as it was developed by some Korean company and that the IPs of various Cave shmup games are now in the hands of other companies. The core and new resources are still with Cave however in which they are used for Donpachin and the upcoming Cave shmup for mobile devices of this year, Mahouotome, which has the same settings as Deathsmiles. Better still, stick with the more accurate IOS conversion of Mushihimesama series or perhaps the arcade or Xbox 360 versions for better arcade experience.
Extra stuff to say from here. There was a re-release of the sequel on IOS as well as Android but it turned out to be a serious disaster as it was developed by some Korean company and that the IPs of various Cave shmup games are now in the hands of other companies. The core and new resources are still with Cave however in which they are used for Donpachin and the upcoming Cave shmup for mobile devices of this year, Mahouotome, which has the same settings as Deathsmiles. Better still, stick with the more accurate IOS conversion of Mushihimesama series or perhaps the arcade or Xbox 360 versions for better arcade experience.
Deathsmiles for IOS obtained
It's that I had bought various IOS arcade games like Deathsmiles, Dodonpachi Daioujou, Miku Flick 2, Darius Burst SP, Mushihimesama, Rayforce and Raystorm just because they were like released 3-4 years ago. Besides those, there were other games like Mushihimesama Bug Panic and Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu which I bought for the IOS. Perhaps, I had never played them before until I bought them.
Gladly, there are superior videos of this version of the game with all stages shown but be warned, there may be serious spoilers taking place in the final stage at later difficulties in the Smartphone Mode. Also, someone on YouTube has revealed the entire soundtrack for the Smartphone Mode so that people can know what it sounds like for that mode. In addition, I might have arranged some of the songs from that game mode.
Gladly, there are superior videos of this version of the game with all stages shown but be warned, there may be serious spoilers taking place in the final stage at later difficulties in the Smartphone Mode. Also, someone on YouTube has revealed the entire soundtrack for the Smartphone Mode so that people can know what it sounds like for that mode. In addition, I might have arranged some of the songs from that game mode.
Dodonpachi Daioujou for IOS obtained
Seems that the Hell difficulty is sort of like the actual arcade difficulty that the game can be completed in the difficulty lower than that but that is not going to count when comparing to the arcade version. We may be glad if you happen to complete the arcade version of the game but that's not enough. You have to be really good at this game genre if you want to face and defeat the true last boss to prove yourself an expert. For me, even with tons of experience in this genre, I'm still not an expert in it although I might have 1CC'ed certain shmup games.
There may be enhancements you can buy from as IAPs that will make the ship more powerful but then, it may seem to be unnecessary when comparing to the arcade version.
Strange thing is that the resolution of the IGS PGM is much wider than 320X224 standard resolution that only the HUD is pixel perfect. Other than that, everything is completely stretched like pixelated. But when played on the standard arcade CRT monitor, you can see that the HUD is squashed.
There may be enhancements you can buy from as IAPs that will make the ship more powerful but then, it may seem to be unnecessary when comparing to the arcade version.
Strange thing is that the resolution of the IGS PGM is much wider than 320X224 standard resolution that only the HUD is pixel perfect. Other than that, everything is completely stretched like pixelated. But when played on the standard arcade CRT monitor, you can see that the HUD is squashed.
Dodonpachi Resurrection for IOS obtained
Damn, there were like five of the IOS games I bought but forgot to blog about. I guess that tons of stuffs held me from blogging about these or maybe the fact that the ITunes gift cards were recently available at the time followed by Google Play gift cards which are surprisingly available this year. Perhaps, the Android gaming must be seriously popular besides the IOS gaming but it's way too obvious that people must be playing like tons of social or casual games on mobile devices like that with the In-App Purchase features in which many hardcore players surely whine about as mobile gaming features are likely to ruin those games that were originally not mobile games to be frank. The past mobile games didn't have modern features like that and Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu on IOS doesn't have social and IAP bullshit whatsoever. It's just the direct conversion of the arcade game and nothing else other than some cheat codes. I guess that I shouldn't have messed around last time with tons of educational and development stuffs like it's time to admit that.
Another problem is that my IOS device is really old and it's already running out of space by then like I may have to do some app backups with ITunes before removal certain stuffs on it and it may look like further mobile gaming is already done on my Android devices as a new IOS device is seriously expensive and the IPod Touch sales are damn poor like there won't be IPod Touch 6th Gen.
Admittance aside, the IOS version has the Smartphone mode in addition to Arcade mode which has the mass laser beam of slaughter to unleash by using touch screen to go 360 degrees non stop in Hyper Mode. To gain Hypers however, you will need to be in low power by grazing or attacking enemies to get in high power. Of course, it may be easier to get Hypers while in low power. While in Hyper Mode, you can't move the ship at all. The only flaw for the Iphone/Smartphone mode is that its soundtrack is way out of place. I guess that I shouldn't have wasted my time in arranging certain songs from that the last time.
Nowadays, starting from two years ago, it appears that the huge financial trouble had haunted Cave Co. Ltd that the arcade division ceased to exist and Dodonpachi Saidaioujou is like the last arcade game from them. However, there was a PS3 release of Ketsui and obviously the developers of the port have the resources of the Xbox 360 release, not Cave itself as the release is published by 5PB and some Cave employee had left the company to join Mages and especially from some famous employee from Hudson Soft whose gaming programs/shows are different nowadays so you won't see the classic shows from him like the 16-Shot stuffs coming back as he's no longer from Hudson Soft and that certain Hudson Soft classic franchises are at the hands of Konami which they don't have time for those.
Another problem is that my IOS device is really old and it's already running out of space by then like I may have to do some app backups with ITunes before removal certain stuffs on it and it may look like further mobile gaming is already done on my Android devices as a new IOS device is seriously expensive and the IPod Touch sales are damn poor like there won't be IPod Touch 6th Gen.
Admittance aside, the IOS version has the Smartphone mode in addition to Arcade mode which has the mass laser beam of slaughter to unleash by using touch screen to go 360 degrees non stop in Hyper Mode. To gain Hypers however, you will need to be in low power by grazing or attacking enemies to get in high power. Of course, it may be easier to get Hypers while in low power. While in Hyper Mode, you can't move the ship at all. The only flaw for the Iphone/Smartphone mode is that its soundtrack is way out of place. I guess that I shouldn't have wasted my time in arranging certain songs from that the last time.
Nowadays, starting from two years ago, it appears that the huge financial trouble had haunted Cave Co. Ltd that the arcade division ceased to exist and Dodonpachi Saidaioujou is like the last arcade game from them. However, there was a PS3 release of Ketsui and obviously the developers of the port have the resources of the Xbox 360 release, not Cave itself as the release is published by 5PB and some Cave employee had left the company to join Mages and especially from some famous employee from Hudson Soft whose gaming programs/shows are different nowadays so you won't see the classic shows from him like the 16-Shot stuffs coming back as he's no longer from Hudson Soft and that certain Hudson Soft classic franchises are at the hands of Konami which they don't have time for those.
Net Neutrality in US approved
This one's going to be a good news for the freedom seekers in the US but then, this is just the beginning of the equality as the crying opponents of Net Neutrality are trying to do something to cause another awful lawsuit against FCC that will break it again like they did last time. Also, having such kind of equality is likely to reduce the bandwidth fastest possible speed but the thing is, those opponents had already limited the bandwidth speed even worse prior to the rebirth of Net Neutrality in the US this year so the supporters of those opponents can pretty much shut the hell up about why is that approved.
If Net Neutrality in Europe and other countries is important, then why do the ISPs in the US waste their breath and time on whining about it again? Does it make those ISPs look like out-of-control retards by then? Why is it difficult to understand the importance of freedom and the fact that the ISPs in the US themselves are in the wrong in multiple ways based on the previous articles?
Hell, even Twitter and Microsoft were on the side of Team Internet as well and with stronger rules this time, it may be difficult for those US ISPs to be rude again although it looks like they never repent their mistakes and bad business deeds. My word, those supporters of those ISPs have gone more idiotic and childish with tons of bad trolls everywhere after the Net Neutrality is approved there like there's no research whatsoever about important it is and how evil those ISPs are in various ways.
The recent approval starting this year may have taught those ISPs the lesson but then, the battle is still far from over as there are other stuffs to deal with such as the law that will limit the illegal spying in the US, the upcoming bill that censors all the shit globally that we must prevent that from happening and the future bullshits based on the previous ones we know will probably rise from the grave again.
If Net Neutrality in Europe and other countries is important, then why do the ISPs in the US waste their breath and time on whining about it again? Does it make those ISPs look like out-of-control retards by then? Why is it difficult to understand the importance of freedom and the fact that the ISPs in the US themselves are in the wrong in multiple ways based on the previous articles?
Hell, even Twitter and Microsoft were on the side of Team Internet as well and with stronger rules this time, it may be difficult for those US ISPs to be rude again although it looks like they never repent their mistakes and bad business deeds. My word, those supporters of those ISPs have gone more idiotic and childish with tons of bad trolls everywhere after the Net Neutrality is approved there like there's no research whatsoever about important it is and how evil those ISPs are in various ways.
The recent approval starting this year may have taught those ISPs the lesson but then, the battle is still far from over as there are other stuffs to deal with such as the law that will limit the illegal spying in the US, the upcoming bill that censors all the shit globally that we must prevent that from happening and the future bullshits based on the previous ones we know will probably rise from the grave again.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Tokyo 7th Sisters
Before the existence and release of Tokyo 7th Sisters for IOS and Android, there was pretty much Love Live School Idol Festival by K-Lab a year earlier than that and it was seriously successful due to the sufficient amount of songs from the franchise to play through at the challenging difficulties and the events have still been on-going for that game even today with newer additions such as additional teams, additional cards, additional adjustments such as randomized note patterns which are nothing special if you have already known those from other rhythm games like those in the arcades.
Unfortunately, the amount of replay value is extremely incomplete for Tokyo 7th Sisters due to the serious lack of content. The amount of songs is like too little and the story is still incomplete as well although there may be plans for multiple chapters. Also, the highest difficulty is not to be expected soon or something just like Love Live School Idol Festival which initially had the first three difficulties upon release until the addition of the Expert difficulty sometime later. There may be tons of cards to manage to the max but the way you scout for more of those may be different as you explore the cities, towns or any other place for more of those in your collection. Another difference is the gameplay itself which has the rhythm gameplay mode and the team battle similar to the one from the first Idolmaster game which is basically the live team battle between various producers and the idols they're producing. I don't know if the one for Tokyo 7th Sisters is the same for sure. Unfortunately, the previous major version of the game was like a joke in terms of gameplay. Why was it having Solo Live mode for gameplay? Did that sound kind of bullshit to us anyway? For the current major version which has different gameplay again, the Live mode is pretty much making use of the team for group live performance and that it should make sense and fulfill the purpose of the game concept similar to other idol themed games on the mobile devices and home game consoles where you should expect both the solo and group live performances while you're managing everything as a producer in those games.
Eventually, without the challenging difficulty, sufficient amount of songs, sufficient amount of cards to manage, events and story chapters, it won't make a game kind of worth playing like that. Sure, the initial version of Tokyo 7th Sisters was kind of slightly below average at the time due to the lack of challenging difficulty, insufficient amount of songs and story chapters, lack of event and weird gameplay concept but with the version update, the game is starting to look decent with proper gameplay and on-going events but even then, the amount of grinding is still tedious that way.
Nevertheless, from the improvements with the version update, it's starting to become the right time to support the game although there's no global release by then because it's not the right time.
Unfortunately, the amount of replay value is extremely incomplete for Tokyo 7th Sisters due to the serious lack of content. The amount of songs is like too little and the story is still incomplete as well although there may be plans for multiple chapters. Also, the highest difficulty is not to be expected soon or something just like Love Live School Idol Festival which initially had the first three difficulties upon release until the addition of the Expert difficulty sometime later. There may be tons of cards to manage to the max but the way you scout for more of those may be different as you explore the cities, towns or any other place for more of those in your collection. Another difference is the gameplay itself which has the rhythm gameplay mode and the team battle similar to the one from the first Idolmaster game which is basically the live team battle between various producers and the idols they're producing. I don't know if the one for Tokyo 7th Sisters is the same for sure. Unfortunately, the previous major version of the game was like a joke in terms of gameplay. Why was it having Solo Live mode for gameplay? Did that sound kind of bullshit to us anyway? For the current major version which has different gameplay again, the Live mode is pretty much making use of the team for group live performance and that it should make sense and fulfill the purpose of the game concept similar to other idol themed games on the mobile devices and home game consoles where you should expect both the solo and group live performances while you're managing everything as a producer in those games.
Eventually, without the challenging difficulty, sufficient amount of songs, sufficient amount of cards to manage, events and story chapters, it won't make a game kind of worth playing like that. Sure, the initial version of Tokyo 7th Sisters was kind of slightly below average at the time due to the lack of challenging difficulty, insufficient amount of songs and story chapters, lack of event and weird gameplay concept but with the version update, the game is starting to look decent with proper gameplay and on-going events but even then, the amount of grinding is still tedious that way.
Nevertheless, from the improvements with the version update, it's starting to become the right time to support the game although there's no global release by then because it's not the right time.
Superfish update part 3
THAT SQUAD OF IDIOTS AGAIN WE CALL "L***** SQUAD"! It's like they will surely never disband themselves in their ass even when some members of that group were already in prison for cyber-penetration of the previous online services that we were already glad for! IT'S NOTORIOUS AND IT'S IDIOTIC! AND NOBODY HAS TIME TO WASTE ON THAT GROUP!
Well, it appears that the official uninstallation tool of Superfish from Lenovo had bricked some of the users' laptops but there HAS TO BE OTHER WAYS TO TAKE OUT THAT ADWARE! And from the recent security discovery, it seems that Superfish is not the only kind of malware that infects computer systems. There are other malwares similar to that and it looks like they might be made by other companies that might or might not affect non-Lenovo computers.
If my computer is kind of lucky that it is not affected by those malwares mentioned above, I may have to think again as there are still other security vulnerabilities.
It doesn't matter on what those Lizard Kiddies did to various websites like the Lenovo website as certain people like us may expect that group to be completely disbanded.
Well, it appears that the official uninstallation tool of Superfish from Lenovo had bricked some of the users' laptops but there HAS TO BE OTHER WAYS TO TAKE OUT THAT ADWARE! And from the recent security discovery, it seems that Superfish is not the only kind of malware that infects computer systems. There are other malwares similar to that and it looks like they might be made by other companies that might or might not affect non-Lenovo computers.
If my computer is kind of lucky that it is not affected by those malwares mentioned above, I may have to think again as there are still other security vulnerabilities.
It doesn't matter on what those Lizard Kiddies did to various websites like the Lenovo website as certain people like us may expect that group to be completely disbanded.
Kill switch program for smartphone
From the recent report about the amount of vulnerabilities of last year, it seems that Linux and Mac OSX are likely to be more vulnernable than Windows OS is as if Apple needs to wake up to their senses in improving their security for their operating systems like IOS, Mac OSX, etc. and it seems that Apple is not the only one doing so with the introduction of Kill Switch program for smartphones and tablets according to some upcoming law being made in the US that allows for theft prevention. Why does it look like Apple needs to wake up to their senses? It may be due to the fact that the security is weakened for Mac OSX Yosemite that makes the OS more vulnerable to theft and illegal access by criminals and Apple has to do something to prevent that from happening.
For folks with privacy concerns about this program, the security for this is more improved so that there's no way that the IOS devices cannot be snooped illegally even if they are powered off once this program is installed. Hopefully, it should be a good law and program that improves the security. Other companies include Microsoft and Google but I don't know if Mozilla, Blackberry, Canonical, Silent Circle, etc. will have this similar program as well that will improve this security.
Even with improved hardware security such as the phone encrption that prevents illegal snopping, it may be best that you should take care of your belongings like your IOS device if you don't want to be the victim of the theft since prior to the inclusion of this program, the difficulty of retrieving back your IOS 8 device may be tough should some thief take it away. This pretty much applies to Android devices but I don't know if the Windows Phones running Windows 10 will have the same amount of security as IOS 8 and Android 5.0 as well.
For folks with privacy concerns about this program, the security for this is more improved so that there's no way that the IOS devices cannot be snooped illegally even if they are powered off once this program is installed. Hopefully, it should be a good law and program that improves the security. Other companies include Microsoft and Google but I don't know if Mozilla, Blackberry, Canonical, Silent Circle, etc. will have this similar program as well that will improve this security.
Even with improved hardware security such as the phone encrption that prevents illegal snopping, it may be best that you should take care of your belongings like your IOS device if you don't want to be the victim of the theft since prior to the inclusion of this program, the difficulty of retrieving back your IOS 8 device may be tough should some thief take it away. This pretty much applies to Android devices but I don't know if the Windows Phones running Windows 10 will have the same amount of security as IOS 8 and Android 5.0 as well.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Beast Busters featuring KOF
Well, that may look like one of the recent SNK mobile platform exclusive releases besides Metal Slug Defense and Rhythm of Fighters. Unlike those two, this one's going closer to the arcade original. It's a railgun shooter on mobile devices just like the classic arcade original including the sequel that was released on the Hyper Neo Geo 64. The controls for railgun shooters on may be implemented in different ways like there can be standard railgun shooter controls in which you can control the crosshair but not anything else or there can be camera control with the crosshair being constant on the center on the screen.
There was Galaga 3D Impact or something on 3DS where you control the camera and ship's weapon simultaneously but the complicated things about that control was that you were moving the 3DS with you around the god-damn place you're in as if this is a bad idea in taking so much space in the room. Also, having to video capture or videotape that is a difficult thing.
Beast Busters on mobile devices surely makes use of the touch screen controls to do the controlling of the camera with everything else being constant. You use the left side of the screen to move around and the right side of the screen to shoot the enemies. I guess it's better that way in terms of controls because there's no gyroscoping whatsoever.
There may be flaws in this one from my gameplay experience. The firing speed is kind of slow which may seem to be unacceptable when it comes to arcade railgun shooters. You should be able to fire as fast as you can but I guess that you should be able to do that in consumer versions of those games. Another flaw is that there may be 3 missions or places with each mission divided into 10 areas. Won't that amount make the game quite short? And the worse thing is that each area is seriously short, sort of like the mission areas in Metal Slug Defense. Each area in Metal Slug Defense may be short but in the actual Metal Slug series, the length of each area in a mission may be different than that.
Eventually, Beast Busters featuring KOF may be more decent than Rhythm of Fighters and Metal Slug Defense due to matching the classic arcade original in terms of gameplay but having each area really short ruins the arcade experience.
There was Galaga 3D Impact or something on 3DS where you control the camera and ship's weapon simultaneously but the complicated things about that control was that you were moving the 3DS with you around the god-damn place you're in as if this is a bad idea in taking so much space in the room. Also, having to video capture or videotape that is a difficult thing.
Beast Busters on mobile devices surely makes use of the touch screen controls to do the controlling of the camera with everything else being constant. You use the left side of the screen to move around and the right side of the screen to shoot the enemies. I guess it's better that way in terms of controls because there's no gyroscoping whatsoever.
There may be flaws in this one from my gameplay experience. The firing speed is kind of slow which may seem to be unacceptable when it comes to arcade railgun shooters. You should be able to fire as fast as you can but I guess that you should be able to do that in consumer versions of those games. Another flaw is that there may be 3 missions or places with each mission divided into 10 areas. Won't that amount make the game quite short? And the worse thing is that each area is seriously short, sort of like the mission areas in Metal Slug Defense. Each area in Metal Slug Defense may be short but in the actual Metal Slug series, the length of each area in a mission may be different than that.
Eventually, Beast Busters featuring KOF may be more decent than Rhythm of Fighters and Metal Slug Defense due to matching the classic arcade original in terms of gameplay but having each area really short ruins the arcade experience.
Lunar New Year Days 1 to 6
This year may be a different one for sure as if I continued to work on the game development stuff. Until now, things were still incomplete for the upcoming Shoot The Bullet clone I'm working on as started from last year. It had the elements from the previous stuffs I worked on in addition to the newer elements and thankfully, things are workable and there's an option to move on even if you cannot make it in specific scenes as they may be difficult in high difficulty or maybe all difficulties. For sound effects, things may be looking different as I used the sound effects from the various websites Microsoft Virtual Academy brought me to thanks to having attended the previous Jump Starts. The only problems are the lack of music and that each set of boss attacks is somewhat incomplete. There will be like three sets of different boss attacks and each set is divided into 10 scenes playable in four difficulties. That may sound really complex and time consuming in the development like it's going towards Rrootage level. Speaking of that, Rrootage may have like tons of bosses in different gameplay modes to deal with. Thankfully, everything should be like playable by then like there's no restrictions whatsoever. Reason for having no restrictions is that I may want to make things as fair as needed after having known on how terrible that F***** B**d is in my opinion. It's nearly unplayable due to the stupid way the bird flies like it's a freaking bouncing ball in the air and everything you collide with hits you instantly. Not to mention the amount of unoriginality of the contents that the sole creator of that may deserve to be sued or something. Of course, there may be certain stuffs made against that as a way of bashing on it like he doesn't even care and this upcoming Shoot The Bullet clone I'm working on is one of these but then who the hell cares for that as well should it become a next major disaster like I broke the previous clones the last time?
There might be plans to remaster the previous clones but unfortunately, that kind of backfired on me like I broke one of the previous clones like trying to remaster it with superior textures, replaced bosses, newer sound effects and remaining UI changes. Sometime after that, I eventually learnt the lesson from Developing 2D and 3D games with Unity Jump Start in which one of the hosts broke the games he made as well so learn from his mistake. The lesson is that I should make some backups or something in case of a technically broken game and that I should move on to the next parts after knowing that everything is fine like there are no errors in testing the game.
There may be less than several days left before the Know It, Prove It event is over but I'll surely make it on time in the final progression. More information about that event will be talked about in the next blog post while the Lunar New Year event may be ending sometime next month.
You know what's really annoying during this year's Lunar New Year? It's that those cowards at home are getting more idiotic than ever for being the serious nuisance and the lack of eternal knowledge that I've been ignoring them due to their past offenses. I may not be to blame for ignorance if they didn't plan on playing stupidly annoying tricks and getting damn noisy like that and it looked like I was trolled by some of my nieces who are pretty much grown up by then like I couldn't even recognize them anymore.
There might be plans to remaster the previous clones but unfortunately, that kind of backfired on me like I broke one of the previous clones like trying to remaster it with superior textures, replaced bosses, newer sound effects and remaining UI changes. Sometime after that, I eventually learnt the lesson from Developing 2D and 3D games with Unity Jump Start in which one of the hosts broke the games he made as well so learn from his mistake. The lesson is that I should make some backups or something in case of a technically broken game and that I should move on to the next parts after knowing that everything is fine like there are no errors in testing the game.
There may be less than several days left before the Know It, Prove It event is over but I'll surely make it on time in the final progression. More information about that event will be talked about in the next blog post while the Lunar New Year event may be ending sometime next month.
You know what's really annoying during this year's Lunar New Year? It's that those cowards at home are getting more idiotic than ever for being the serious nuisance and the lack of eternal knowledge that I've been ignoring them due to their past offenses. I may not be to blame for ignorance if they didn't plan on playing stupidly annoying tricks and getting damn noisy like that and it looked like I was trolled by some of my nieces who are pretty much grown up by then like I couldn't even recognize them anymore.
Superfish update
We probably know that Lenovo was already aware of this situation like it already took them some time to be aware of it and come up with the solution to fix this problem so they already came up with the official Superfish uninstallation tool that will help to remove the program and the security certificate like we already mentioned in the previous post. Of course, many of the antivirus programs had already detected this as Adware that easily and even Windows Defender or Security Essentials is one of the detectors out there. How did Microsoft come up with the new anti-virus definiton database in addition to improved security for their services?
Unfortunately, when it comes to Firefox, the security certificate system is different than the one in other browsers and there may be some chance that the Superfish security certificate may still remain intact for Firefox but I don't know if this is true or not.
Unfortunately, when it comes to Firefox, the security certificate system is different than the one in other browsers and there may be some chance that the Superfish security certificate may still remain intact for Firefox but I don't know if this is true or not.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Lenovo systems affected by adware
I don't care about the computer brand as know as I can recognize certain of them such as Acer, Lenovo, Dell, Alienware, HP and so on but this is wrong for Lenovo to violate their customers' privacy with the adware in their computers. Thankfully, Lenovo is aware of this and they have decided to discontinue shipping Superfish which is the culprit of this security problem as reported by various antivirus brands. Also, the new version is on the way that doesn't inject ads as the current version has the ability to steal your private data if you happen to be using it. It may be either easy or challenging to uninstall Superfish when possible until the new version comes out.
Another problem is that Superfish has the ability to install its own security certificate fooling the device as well as decode encrypted data sent between you and the other subject that can pose a serious security problem. This may allow the man-in-the-middle attack which many IT security enthusiasts already know the concepts all along.
While IE and Chrome are not safe like that, Firefox happens to be safe thanks to its independent certificate repository and the worse thing is that that security certificate is NOT removed alongside Superfish should you decide to uninstall it.
Another problem is that Superfish has the ability to install its own security certificate fooling the device as well as decode encrypted data sent between you and the other subject that can pose a serious security problem. This may allow the man-in-the-middle attack which many IT security enthusiasts already know the concepts all along.
While IE and Chrome are not safe like that, Firefox happens to be safe thanks to its independent certificate repository and the worse thing is that that security certificate is NOT removed alongside Superfish should you decide to uninstall it.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Windows 10 Event at Microsoft Operations Pte Ltd
Note that this is not the first time I went to visit Microsoft Operations Pte Ltd for something. The previous one was due to the fact that I got to collect the Tech Elite T-Shirt as the prize and this time, it was about the upcoming Windows 10. All the features were pretty known to me as seen in the Windows 10 Live Stream although there were certain things I didn't know of such as the concern about enforced upgrade to Windows 10 for enterprises which could be a problem if left unprepared. Thankfully, the enterprises have higher control as stated by Microsoft that they can choose to block the automatic upgrade to Windows 10 once finalized because going for automatic upgrade to Windows 10 while in beta phase is going to be a wrong and bad idea.
This came to me from Singapore Windows User Group Facebook page and nobody knows who made this group. Sure, Mr. Desmond Tan inherited that group but even he isn't sure on who made that. There were demonstrations he did like the Continuum, Cortana, Start Menu and even other enhancements done to Windows 10 as well. Hmm, will I be beta-testing Windows 10? I don't know honestly when. And, as of present time, Cortana is still at beta phase for US English and there may be British English which is what the local English in my country is based on but the thing is, the local English is still not in Cortana so there may be difficulties in her understanding that.
Of course, most of the group members are pretty much working in the company and Raffles Place is seriously full of people going to work dressed up in business outfits and there are some of us who are still students all along attending this according to the way the communication goes.
Lastly, there was an Instagram photo-taking session during the break. All you had to do was to get photo-taken holding the Surface device and then use your Instagram account to enter the respective hashtags with the photo of that so that people will be able to see it and you will get the movie tickets for that. There might be some animated movies I wanted to watch the last time but too bad I missed them and that was a shame for me as a nerd.
This came to me from Singapore Windows User Group Facebook page and nobody knows who made this group. Sure, Mr. Desmond Tan inherited that group but even he isn't sure on who made that. There were demonstrations he did like the Continuum, Cortana, Start Menu and even other enhancements done to Windows 10 as well. Hmm, will I be beta-testing Windows 10? I don't know honestly when. And, as of present time, Cortana is still at beta phase for US English and there may be British English which is what the local English in my country is based on but the thing is, the local English is still not in Cortana so there may be difficulties in her understanding that.
Of course, most of the group members are pretty much working in the company and Raffles Place is seriously full of people going to work dressed up in business outfits and there are some of us who are still students all along attending this according to the way the communication goes.
Lastly, there was an Instagram photo-taking session during the break. All you had to do was to get photo-taken holding the Surface device and then use your Instagram account to enter the respective hashtags with the photo of that so that people will be able to see it and you will get the movie tickets for that. There might be some animated movies I wanted to watch the last time but too bad I missed them and that was a shame for me as a nerd.
UK universities ban smartwatches for exams
In addition to watches with calculator support, even smartwatches and other gadgets will be banned from usage for exams lest it attracts technical cheaters or something which is kind of a good move. Google, Apple and other companies should have gotten aware of this flaw and especially for smaller devices that can be attachable to something that forms a watch like the Ipod Nano with something that forms that for instance. There's one thing schools forget, the smartbands, because they're freaking gadgets as well.
Unfortunately, certain smartwatches are trying to be disguised as normal watches which can pose difficulties for the invilgilators as if all kinds of watches should be banned. The workaround for that more clocks will be placed on the walls of the exam rooms in case you need to know what time is it while you're taking exams. Even worse is that there may be halls used for examination as well that there should be additional LED displays for time in addition to traditional clocks as the halls are really big compared to small exam rooms in which the clocks can be seen easily.
So after knowing this kind of news, you should know that smartwatches are not allowed in the exam centers probably due to the fact that certain kinds of communications may be transmitted such as pictures, videos, mails, messages and other stuffs that look like technical communications.
Unfortunately, certain smartwatches are trying to be disguised as normal watches which can pose difficulties for the invilgilators as if all kinds of watches should be banned. The workaround for that more clocks will be placed on the walls of the exam rooms in case you need to know what time is it while you're taking exams. Even worse is that there may be halls used for examination as well that there should be additional LED displays for time in addition to traditional clocks as the halls are really big compared to small exam rooms in which the clocks can be seen easily.
So after knowing this kind of news, you should know that smartwatches are not allowed in the exam centers probably due to the fact that certain kinds of communications may be transmitted such as pictures, videos, mails, messages and other stuffs that look like technical communications.
App in the UK that tracks children's phone use?
This unknown new app as stated as a news in Neowin is said to be tracking children's phone use. It may be useful to see what indecent things they have done on the phone whether it's theirs or maybe their parents and especially when they are using the phones or tablets for hours straight. However, the indecent thing about the app is the privacy violation we already know of ever since two years ago and this is some kind of the app people in UK SHOULD AVOID! If the device is the parent's one that is used by his/her children, why can't the parent inspect the goddamn device in a standard way? WHY USE THAT APP that simplifies that inspection?
What about home computers that are used by multiple users? What about the game consoles and other stuffs? Laziness is kind of fine but I think that it should be the proper time that YOU CHECK EVERYTHING for children's usage to see if anything is CHANGED. How about you monitor the goddamn home like it's a freaking extraordinary home surveillance camera you're using while you're at work? Do you really want to watch them non-stop while you're away?
BETTER STILL, if that mobile device is yours whether you're a parent or whatever, that mobile device is 100% personal and in fact, you should stick to checking it for any undesirable changes done by the children in a traditional way.
You know, there's Parental Control feature that can be handy for whatever device you have for family use but if your entire family is at an adult age, that feature may be kind of pointless because most of home devices belong to one specific owner. In fact, there can be a home surveillance camera which may look kind of simple to see what the children are doing whether they are guests or maybe the family members of yours and especialy that that camera is cloud connected. That may be something to install in a living room but not the bedroom as some of the rooms may need to be used as changing room as well. That should also be something to keep track of, not that bullshit mobile app.
What about home computers that are used by multiple users? What about the game consoles and other stuffs? Laziness is kind of fine but I think that it should be the proper time that YOU CHECK EVERYTHING for children's usage to see if anything is CHANGED. How about you monitor the goddamn home like it's a freaking extraordinary home surveillance camera you're using while you're at work? Do you really want to watch them non-stop while you're away?
BETTER STILL, if that mobile device is yours whether you're a parent or whatever, that mobile device is 100% personal and in fact, you should stick to checking it for any undesirable changes done by the children in a traditional way.
You know, there's Parental Control feature that can be handy for whatever device you have for family use but if your entire family is at an adult age, that feature may be kind of pointless because most of home devices belong to one specific owner. In fact, there can be a home surveillance camera which may look kind of simple to see what the children are doing whether they are guests or maybe the family members of yours and especialy that that camera is cloud connected. That may be something to install in a living room but not the bedroom as some of the rooms may need to be used as changing room as well. That should also be something to keep track of, not that bullshit mobile app.
Samsung Smart TV - Privacy violation and ads in third-party apps and videos
The truth for Samsung is that they are taking privacy very seriously for customers when it comes to Smart TVs but what about the Android services and apps they have made? The recent concern for the customers was that the privacy was compromised when watching something on Samsung Smart TV which wasn't the first time things happened like that. The previous time was that LG Smart TVs did the same privacy violation stuffs and that LG was aware of the issue. It's the same for Samsung in which there will be a patch that will fix the privacy violation issues as well as the annoyance of the ad-appearances in every third-party apps and videos.
So, did they screw up or what before they got aware of these issues? And even then, there was another previous news indicating that regardless of the brands, the Smart TVs are eyeing on you and your actions and I don't know if this issue is completely fixed for LG and Samsung Smart TVs. The more sensitive ones are probably the Android-based Smart TVs and Set Top Boxes as we still can know that there are some remaining security flaws out there.
So, did they screw up or what before they got aware of these issues? And even then, there was another previous news indicating that regardless of the brands, the Smart TVs are eyeing on you and your actions and I don't know if this issue is completely fixed for LG and Samsung Smart TVs. The more sensitive ones are probably the Android-based Smart TVs and Set Top Boxes as we still can know that there are some remaining security flaws out there.
Monday, February 2, 2015
US tech giants demanded for source code by China
It may be good that people including us know what the Great Firewall of China is in general which may affect the way people in China use technology and especially for the fact that certain US-made online services like Facebook, Twitter, etc. are censored again in China in favor of the Chinese equivalents like Baidu, Weibo, Sina and so on. However, despite on how great the national firewall is, there are still technical flaws in terms of cybersecurity as if this kind of cyber-war is still going on like two nations spying on each other in addition to spying on their people. Either way, it's a bad thing and that's not the proper way to detect bad guys like that although there are already groups of baddies we know of in general.
What will piss the US tech giants off is that they were told to surrender the source codes like what happened to them the last time. This is kind of wrong and bullshit although serious piracy is a serious problem in China and especially for the huge amount of unoriginal products made there that are plagued with bugs and inferior-ass features. Sure, people around the globe are already worried about their privacy being compromised by the spying agencies and various companies we know of that better alternatives may be the reasons to keep themselves safe.
What will piss the US tech giants off is that they were told to surrender the source codes like what happened to them the last time. This is kind of wrong and bullshit although serious piracy is a serious problem in China and especially for the huge amount of unoriginal products made there that are plagued with bugs and inferior-ass features. Sure, people around the globe are already worried about their privacy being compromised by the spying agencies and various companies we know of that better alternatives may be the reasons to keep themselves safe.
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