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ie8 fix

counterfeiting

Microsoft: Vista piracy rate is half that of XP

Microsoft said Monday that it's seeing piracy rates for Windows Vista that are half those of Windows XP.

Now cynical me wanted to write this up as "even pirates prefer XP two to one over Vista," but that wouldn't be fair. In reality, the decline in piracy rates is largely due to the fact that Vista is much tougher to counterfeit than XP.

"Piracy rates are lower because it's harder," Microsoft Vice President Mike Sievert said in an interview Monday.

There are a variety of reasons for that, including the fact that businesses … Read more

Psst: Is yours real?

Ever wondered if the phone you're using is the real thang? No one wants to be a victim of an exploding counterfeit charger. Here's what some manufacturers advise for consumers purchasing a new handset.

Samsung

Always purchase devices or accessories from authorized Samsung dealers. All Samsung devices and accessories come in a sealed, high-quality box with a holographic Samsung sticker on the front. There should also be Samsung branding and a model number on the headset and a product certification sticker on the charger. Customers should always insist on a receipt and proof of purchase at the point … Read more

We need this counterfeit bill detector

No matter where we travel, stateside or otherwise, we seem to exude tourist nerdism--which means we're an easy mark for pickpockets and con artists. So even after resorting to dorky money belts and the like, we could still use all the help we can get.

That's why we're so grateful to Tokyomango for pointing out this counterfeit bill detector, which uses ultraviolet rays to scan paper currency for authentication. It was introduced in Japan for that country's universally known camera-toting tourists, but we see no reason the technology should be limited to any particular population. If … Read more