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Canon camera encryption cracked

There's a new reason to take note of a Russian programmer who rose to modest fame with his detainment in the United States in 2001: his work to help crack encryption used in Canon cameras.

The programmer and encryption expert is Dmitry Sklyarov, and his company, Elcomsoft, has found a vulnerability in Canon's OSK-E3 system for ensuring that photos such as those used in police evidence-gathering haven't been tampered with.

The result is that the company can create doctored photos that the technology thinks are authentic. To illustrate its point, it released a few doctored photos that it says passes the Canon integrity checks.

"The vulnerability discovered by ElcomSoft questions the authenticity of all Canon signed photographic evidence and published photos and effectively proves the entire Canon Original Data Security system useless," the company said in a statement. Sklyarov presented the findings at the Confidence 2.0 conference last week.

Canon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. … Read more

Canon 5D Mark II, 7D get mode dial upgrade

Firmware upgrades for cameras are the norm, and it's not every day we see brands offering hardware upgrades. However, Canon announced this week that it will tweak the mode dial for its EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 7D.

The adjustment will allow the mode dial to be locked in place, much like the implementation on the EOS 60D. This will prevent the accidental changing of settings, which frustrate photographers, especially when they need to quickly take a shot.

The upgrade will cost roughly $100. However, users are required to bring their dSLR to the local Canon office during … Read more

Get a Canon Pixma photo printer for $22.82 shipped

Looking for a compact, inexpensive printer that's equally adept at printing documents and photos? The Canon Pixma iP2600 might be just the ticket.

It's an older model, one that debuted back in 2008, and even then it was an entry-level bargain at $49.99. Today, however, CostCentral has the Canon Pixma iP2600 for just $22.82 shipped. It's new, not refurbished (though the warranty is still just a what-did-you-expect-for-23-bucks 90 days).

Update: Looks like the sale is over, folks--the printer is now selling for $30. Still pretty cheap, though perhaps not quite as tempting.

Make no mistake: … Read more

Ubuntu splits from GNOME UI

Canonical's Mark Shuttleworth on Monday detailed how Ubuntu will split from the GNOME user interface for Unity, which is its Netbook approach. Simply put, Ubuntu will have a custom user interface.

The reaction to various press reports from Computerworld, Ars Technica, and others has gone to extremes:

•First, Canonical could be portrayed as evil because it's flipping its middle finger to the open-source community. •Others say that GNOME was hard to work with. •And then you get your Unity sniping.

Read more of "Ubuntu splits from GNOME UI: A good, pragmatic move" at ZDNet's Between … Read more

Limited-edition Canon G12 sports lipstick stain

Pucker up! Acclaimed fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg has specially designed 50 units of the Canon PowerShot G12 exclusively for online retailer AhaLife. The shooter's hand grip area is embellished with Swarovski crystals, and there's also a lipstick stain pattern on it. The limited-edition advanced compact will set you back $600 (a normal version costs $499). It ships with a case also designed by Furstenberg.

Considering the designer is a legend in the fashion industry, $600 is a small price to pay compared with the limited-edition Titanium Leica M9, which costs a pocket-blowing $29,938.

(Source: Crave Asia … Read more

Canon devices use keyword recognition to block imaging jobs

Most consumer level Canon printers use optical character recognition (OCR) to translate scanned images of printer or handwritten documents to editable electronic text, but the latest version of Uniflow, the company's corporate document management system, uses OCR to prevent people from printing or copying documents that contain specific words.

Uniflow is a central management system that allows administrators to keep track of copies and prints for billing and requires an accompanying Uniflow server and Uniflow-ready Canon devices. The latest version, Uniflow 5, can also block documents containing prohibited keywords--sensitive information like passwords and account numbers.

Admins can also configure … Read more

Ubuntu 10.10 desktop reaches through the cloud

The next versions of Ubuntu Linux for desktops and Netbooks will launch Sunday with new cloud features, an updated interface, and better links with other operating systems, Canonical has announced.

The software, known as Maverick Meerkat, will both be versions 10.10 of the Linux distribution, the company said yesterday. They will be available for free download from October 10, sidestepping the usual Thursday release window to tie the launch in with the 10/10/10 date stamp.

Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop Edition and Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook Edition focus on integrating mobile access to other devices via Ubuntu's … Read more

The new tweener cameras

When it comes to shooting digital photos, you've had three basic choices. You can use your phone, a compact point-and-shoot camera, or a digital SLR.

There is certainly a range of capabilities within each of those categories. But, broadly speaking, all of the devices within a given category have a pretty similar set of tradeoffs relative to the devices in another category.

When it comes to dedicated cameras, point-and-shoots don't have interchangeable lenses, have relatively small image sensors, tend to have a perceptible lag between the shutter button being pressed and the picture being taken, and usually have … Read more