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Today's Topics:
1. It's official, AT&T to offer Code Factory products.
(Ray T. Mahorney)
2. Mac, meet Israel (Monty Solomon)
3. Israelis work to crack the iPhone (Monty Solomon)
4. iPhone has a built-in spyware module? (Rob)
5. Big Brother cameras to track millions of innocent drivers (Rob)
6. Police 'to access road cameras' (Rob)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 07:20:42 -0000
From: "Ray T. Mahorney" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] It's official, AT&T to offer Code Factory
products.
To: <medianews@twiar.org>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
(from the blind phones reflector)
Hi, all.
In confirmation of what Rick heard a few days ago, AT&T has just
posted the press release below stating that they will be offering Code
Factory products for several platforms and for both speech and
magnification. I'm very pleased to see that they're offering two platforms
of phone rather than one. They're the only company I know of to do it, and
it's a great step forward that people will no longer be locked in to one
phone on one platform if they want to buy at subsidized pricing and if they
don't want the headache of installing the screen reader. This is a great
move by both AT&T and CF.
Aman
Taken from
http://tinyurl.com/yu3o9n
ATT Expands Wireless Offerings for Customers With Disabilities
ATT Launching New Services to Support Customers With Special Needs
SAN ANTONIO, July 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ATT Inc. (NYSE:
T
) has
announced plans to launch new wireless software products this year to
increase usability for customers who are blind or visually impaired. ATT
will partner with Code Factory to offer two new products: Mobile Speak and
Mobile Magnifier, both for Windows Mobile and Symbian Series 60 operating
system devices.
ATT consults with leaders from the disability community to develop
product and service offerings designed to meet the needs of customers with
vision loss. "By working closely with organizations that are committed to
serving seniors or people with disabilities, ATT is able to better
understand the unique needs of its customers," said Carlton Hill, vice
president of Product Management for ATT's wireless unit. "These new
software options will help make it easier for all individuals to enjoy a
digital lifestyle wherever they go."
"Code Factory's mission is to make it possible for visually impaired
consumers to use the most advanced mobile technology," said Eduard Sanches,
CEO of Code Factory. "ATT has a long track record of enabling
communications for all of its customers, and we are very pleased to partner
with them to make even more mobile devices accessible to the visually
impaired."
Mobile Speak is a powerful, full-fledged screen reader with an
easy-to-learn command structure, intuitive speech feedback in several
languages and Braille support that can be used with or without speech.
Unlike other screen readers for mobile phones, Mobile Speak automatically
detects information that the blind user should know, just as a sighted user
would easily find highlighted items or key areas of the screen at a glance.
Supported applications and functions include:
-- Speed dial, call lists and contacts
-- Text messaging
-- Calendar, tasks, notes and calculator
-- Internet browser
-- Word, Excel and PowerPoint
-- Voice Recorder, Media Player, voice speed dial and voice command
-- Phone/device settings, profiles, alarms and ringtones
Mobile Magnifier is a flexible, full-screen magnification application
that supports low- and high-resolution screens and can be used with or
without speech feedback. Magnification software is compatible with a wide
range of mobile devices. Unique features include:
-- Magnification levels from 1.25x to 16x
-- Font-smoothing for easier readability
-- Three different layouts: a full-screen, split and distributed view
-- Different color schemes, including inverted color
-- Automatic panning and cursor-tracking
-- Automatic zoom function that detects areas of interest on the screen
"We have found that individuals who have vision loss want to be able to
choose from a range of wireless handsets," said Paul Schroeder, vice
president of Programs and Policy, American Foundation for the Blind. "Just
like people who can see, customers with disabilities want options. We
applaud ATT for its leadership in investing the effort to understand and
address the needs of individuals with vision loss."
Mobile Speak and Mobile Magnifier for Windows Mobile and Symbian Series
60 operating system devices will be available from ATT in the fall of
2007. For more information about wireless product or service offerings for
those with disabilities, visit
http://www.wireless.att.com/about/disability-resources.jsp
.
Note: This ATT release and other news announcements are available as
part of an RSS feed at
http://www.att.com/rss
.
About Code Factory, S.L.
Code Factory is a software company committed to the development of
products designed to remove barriers to the accessibility of mobile
technology for the blind and visually impaired. Noted for innovation and
responsiveness, Code Factory is the leading provider of screen readers,
screen magnifiers, and Braille interfaces for the widest range of
mainstream mobile devices including Symbian-based and Windows
Mobile-powered Smartphones as well as phones and PDAs running the Windows
Mobile Pocket PC operating system. Further, Code Factory is the only
accessible software provider to support more than a hundred phones working
on the GSM, CDMA and WCDMA networks. To learn more about Code Factory and
its mission of bringing complete accessibility to mobile devices, visit
http://www.codefactory.es
.
About ATT
ATT Inc. (NYSE:
T
) is a premier communications holding company. Its
subsidiaries and affiliates, ATT operating companies, are the providers of
ATT services in the United States and around the world. Among their
offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications
services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and
voice services. In domestic markets, ATT is known for the directory
publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and
YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the ATT brand is licensed to innovators
in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen
integration strategy, ATT is expanding its TV entertainment offerings.
Additional information about ATT Inc. and the products and services
provided by ATT subsidiaries and affiliates is available at
http://www.att.com
.
(C) 2007 ATT Knowledge Ventures. All rights reserved. ATT and the
ATT logo are trademarks of ATT Knowledge Ventures. For more information,
please review this announcement in the ATT newsroom at
http://www.att.com/newsroom.
To be removed from this list, please send a blank message to
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[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:18:28 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Mac, meet Israel
To: undisclosed-recipient:;
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Mac, meet Israel
ILANA DIAMOND, THE JERUSALEM POST
Jul. 18, 2007
In Israel, when inquiring about Macintosh computers, no one seems to
have any answers - or at least they pretend not to. Good luck, also,
trying to get quality technical support for Mac products here.
There also is no Microsoft Office software for Macs in Hebrew as
there is for PCs.
...
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1184672476953&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:50:06 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Israelis work to crack the iPhone
To: undisclosed-recipient:;
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Israelis work to crack the iPhone
SHELLY PAZ, THE JERUSALEM POST
Jul. 18, 2007
Two weeks after Apple released its revolutionary iPhone, it appears
that Israelis won't even get a taste of the personal computer maker's
first mobile phone even when the second version is launched. So leave
it to local hackers to try to move up the timetable.
Disappointed over the anticipated delay and aware of the complicated
deal attached to purchasing the iPhone in which Apple gave American
service provider AT&T Wireless exclusive rights to distribution and
operation, Israeli hackers, competitor companies and local Mac fans
are working overtime to come up with iPhone alternatives and
imitations.
It's no secret that Apple's products are late to enter the Israeli
tech-oriented market even if it's not clear what came first: low
interest from Israeli customers or a non-friendly operating system
for Hebrew speakers. But the latest slight has left local tech-lovers
especially disappointed.
Nonetheless, Israeli hackers and Mac fans do not give up so easily;
if the iPhone does not come to us in this advanced technology age,
they say, we will find our own solutions.
And they have.
...
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1184672476893&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 20:06:57 -0500
From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] iPhone has a built-in spyware module?
To: Media-News <medianews@twiar.org>, Tom and Darryl
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
iPhone has a built-in spyware module?
VS iPhone
http://vsiphone.blogspot.com/2007/07/iphone-has-built-in-spyware-module.html
Today an underground hacker team "web-Hack" from Russia released a
whitepaper with results of iPhone firmware research. They reverse-
engineered some functions and published this information.
Results of a research shocked community. Russian hackers found a
built-in function which sends all data from an iPhone to a specified
web-server. Contacts from a phonebook, SMS, recent calls, history of
Safari browser - all your personal information can be stolen.
At present there is no additional information about this issue.
Researches assume that this function either a debug feature or a
built-in backdoor module for some governmental structures. Anyways this
function can be used by a trojan-developers or activated by the AT&T.
We will monitor all information about this accident and will publish it
immediately.
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 20:07:59 -0500
From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Big Brother cameras to track millions of innocent
drivers
To: Media-News <medianews@twiar.org>, Tom and Darryl
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Big Brother cameras to track millions of innocent drivers
JAMES SLACK
UK Daily Mail
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=469139&in_page_id=1770&ct=5
Labour has drawn up secret 'Big Brother' plans to hand the details of
routine journeys taken by millions of innocent motorists to the police,
it has emerged.
Officers will be able to trawl private information recorded by traffic
cameras when investigating even the most minor crimes, according to
papers made public by an astonishing Government blunder.
Once the controversial national road-pricing scheme is under way, short
journeys to the shops, work or to visit friends will all be logged.
Anybody whose vehicle was merely following a car linked to a crime could
come under suspicion and be asked to account for their movements.
The internal documents, released in error, reveal the planned laws have
already caused a deep Cabinet rift and critics said they were further
evidence of a 'creeping surveillance state'.
Under the road-pricing plans, motorists will have their journeys tracked
by the automatic number plate recognition cameras, which read and record
vehicle movements, and be charged based on how far they travel.
By giving police 'bulk access' to this data, forces will be able to
effectively track the movements of all motorists who pass the cameras,
of which 1,500 already exist in the capital. A further 50 are operated
by the DVLA at sites across the country.
The Government papers reveal the tactics which could be used to solve
crimes, using the number-plate information. They include 'convoy
analysis', where drivers spotted following a known criminal come under
police suspicion.
Ministers are already braced for a huge revolt by motorists already
opposed to the road-charging plan, which attracted more than 1.8million
protest signatures on a Downing Street petition.
Now officials have warned the police data policy - due to be included in
the next Queen's Speech - will be 'condemned as further evidence of an
encroaching Big Brother approach to policing and security'.
The movement of pedestrians is already tracked by 4.2million CCTV
cameras - the largest number in the world. Now car journeys will be
similarly monitored.
Details emerged amid the announcement of a deal to allow police to be
given live access to London's congestion charge cameras - allowing them
to track all vehicles entering and leaving the zone.
Security Minister Tony McNulty said it would be limited to anti-terror
officers only, who will be exempted from the parts of the Data
Protection Act which protect the privacy of motorists. Home Secretary
Jacqui Smith blamed the 'enduring vehicle-borne terrorist
threat to London' for the change, in the wake of last month's failed
bomb attacks.
But, in a remarkable error, internal Home Office papers laid bare future
plans to dramatically widen the powers beyond anti-terror operations -
and nationwide. They were released alongside a statement placed in the
House of Commons library.
These revealed the London agreement was merely 'an immediate solution
pending the introduction of planned Government agreement on proposed
legislation which would allow the bulk transfer of automatic number
plate recognition data from third parties to the police for all
crime-fighting purposes.'
The move is being contested by Douglas Alexander, the former Transport
Secretary who is now International Development Secretary.
He argues it will intensify road charging anger, once drivers realise
they will be placed under surveillance as well as being hit in the
pocket. But the Home Office is determined to press ahead, the papers
reveal. They read: 'The Home Office had proposed to legislate for the
transfer of bulk ANPR data in the Criminal Justice Bill.
'However, Tony McNulty has now agreed to delay these measures until the
third parliamentary session as collective policy agreement has not been
secured in time for publication of the Bill.
'The Department for Transport has expressed concern about the potential
for adverse publicity relating to publication of the draft Local
Transport Bill, and plans for local roads pricing. We will continue to
work closely with the Department for Transport to minimise the impact on
their policies. '
The Government is expected to announce pilots for the road-pricing plan
shortly. LibDem home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg said: 'With this
unintended act of open government, the disingenuous attitude of
ministers towards public fears about a creeping surveillance state is
revealed for all to see.
'No wonder Douglas Alexander was keen to tone down these proposals since
he must know that public resistance to a road-charging scheme will go
through the roof if it is based on technology which poses a threat to
personal privacy.
'The Government appears to be using the London cameras as a Trojan Horse
to secure unprecedented access to information on car drivers' movements
without full public scrutiny or debate.'
Shami Chakrabarti, director of civil liberties group Liberty, said: 'It
is one thing to ask the public for special measures to fight the grave
threat of terrorism, but when that becomes a Trojan horse for mass
snooping for more petty matters it only leads to a loss of trust in
government.'
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 20:09:34 -0500
From: Rob <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Police 'to access road cameras'
To: Media-News <medianews@twiar.org>, Tom and Darryl
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Police 'to access road cameras'
BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6903902.stm
Road pricing cameras could be used by police to track drivers' movements
in England and Wales under new proposals.
A Home Office document accidentally released suggests police should be
given instant access to cameras which monitor congestion and road charging.
It comes after anti-terror officers were given real time access to
congestion charge cameras in London.
The Lib Dems accused the government of using that announcement as a
"Trojan Horse" for more wide-ranging proposals.
The party's home affairs spokesman Nick Clegg said: "With this
unintended act of open government the disingenuous attitude of ministers
towards public fears about a creeping surveillance state is revealed for
all to see.
"Bit by bit vast computer databases are being made inter-operable and
yet the government seems to be running scared of a full and public
debate on the safeguards needed to make such information sharing
acceptable."
He added: "The government appears to be using the London cameras as a
Trojan Horse to secure unprecedented access to information on car
drivers' movements without full public scrutiny or debate."
On Tuesday, the Home Office announced that anti-terror officers in
London would be exempted from parts of the Data Protection Act.
The Metropolitan Police previously had to apply for access to congestion
charge data on a case-by-case basis.
Opposition
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said the change was needed to deal with the
"enduring vehicle-borne terrorist threat to London".
In a written ministerial statement, anti terror minister Tony McNulty
said the scheme would be reviewed after three months to ensure personal
privacy was being protected.
And he said the Metropolitan Police will have to produce an annual
report for the government's data protection watchdog, The Information
Commissioner.
------------------------------
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