Microsoft Launches Graphics Viewer for iPhone.

The freeware developed by Live Labs is called "Seadragon Mobile" and lets users view large images on their iPhone with "just a few taps of a finger". It is the first in a series of planned Microsoft iPhone applications and although historically Microsoft and Apple have been market rivals, Microsoft chose the iPhone because of it's popularity and technological capabilities.

The iPhone is the most widely distributed phone with a graphics processing unit, so it was the perfect choice for the new freeware graphics viewer. Seadragon is what powers Microsoft's photo browsing software Photosynth, and works by storing multiple resolutions of a file.

Other software planned for the iPhone for release in the near future includes a voice recognition program.

Web Browser Update

Internet Explorer

Microsoft have released a security update to fix the critical vulnerability recently identified in Internet Explorer (see item Internet Explorer Security Fears). It is reported that the vulnerability infected as many as 10,000 websites and it allowed criminals to direct victims' computers to infected websites. The security update is rated Critical for Internet Explorer 5.01, Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 and Internet Explorer 7.

Microsoft's latest security updates can be found at: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/Search.aspx?displaylang=en

Firefox
Mozilla have just released version 3 of their web browser Firefox; for more information visit http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

Internet Explorer Security Fears

A serious security flaw has been identified with Microsoft's Internet Explorer which could result in criminals taking control of people's computers and stealing their passwords.

The flaw only affects the most commonly used web browser, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft has urged users to remain vigilant whilst they prepare an emergency patch. Other browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera are not affected.

So far attacks have only been detected against Internet Explorer 7 but Microsoft said that the "underlying vulnerability" was present in all versions of the browser.

Microsoft advise that "Protected Mode" (in Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 in Windows Vista) limits the impact of the vulnerability. They also suggest that users change their Internet Explorer security settings to 'high', keep their virus and spyware detection software up to date and use a Windows user account with limited rights to change the computers settings. For more information see: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/961051.mspx

Cash Demand For Illegal Porn Downloads?

Thousands of internet users have been told they'll be taken to court unless they pay hundreds of pounds for supposedly downloading and sharing hardcore porn movies illegally. A German company has claimed the users are breaking copyright laws and is demanding in the region of £500 to settle out of court.

The company tracks down alleged 'pirates' by logging the IP address of the computer logged on to the file sharing network. It then applies for a court order to force the Internet Service Provider or ISP to release the details of the customer matched to the logged IP address.

Of course to those in the know, this method of tracking an IP address is unreliable. Fake IP addresses, unsecured wireless networks, easy to remember or default passwords could all lead to an innocent user being prosecuted. Unfortunately, because of the nature of the data being downloaded, many people will cough up rather than face the embarrassment of going to court.