Crave

We've all seen how fashion frequently goes full circle and brings back designs our grandparents wore, but we would never have guessed the same for dowsing. Popular during ancient times, it was believed that a pair of simple divining rods could magically detect water underground.

(Credit: ATSC (UK))

Seems dowsing is coming back, albeit with an unexpected angle. British company ATSC (UK) is selling a portable explosive detection device called the ADE 651, which brings bomb detection technology to another (magical) level with claims it can detect guns, ammunition, explosives, and even contraband items from more than half a mile through obstacles and even planes flying 3 miles overhead.

Amazingly, it uses no power source and all the operator needs to do is hold a pair of metal rods that will point to dangerous items via "electrostatic magnetic ion attraction." ATSC (UK) is selling the ADE 651 for between $16,500 and $60,000 each (depending on the source).

Despite the fact that the ADE 651 has been debunked by journalists and authorities (including Dale Murray, head of the National Explosive Engineering Sciences Security Center at Sandia Labs), the Iraqi government has purchased more than 1,500 units and swears by them. We all know a sucker is born every minute, but are the hoodwinked Iraqi soldiers depending on the ADE 651 to save lives, or the public to pay for these with their tax dollars?

(Source: Crave Asia via The New York Times)

This is a screenshot of the SMS the hacked iPhone users received.

(Credit: Tweakers.net)

A hacker in the Netherlands broke into some jailbroken iPhones and sent text messages to the owners asking them to pay to find out how to secure their phones, according to postings in a Dutch forum called Tweakers.net.

One of the victims posted a screenshot from his iPhone of the SMS received. It said: "Your iPhone's been hacked because it's really insecure! Please visit doiop.com/iHacked and secure your iPhone right now! Right now, I can access all your files."

The URL provided now displays a message indicating that it was reported for spam or phishing abuse and has been deactivated.

Ars Technica reports that before the page was removed, it asked that victims send 5 euros ($7.36) to a PayPal account and then await an e-mail with instructions on how to secure the phone. The fix probably would involve restoring the factory settings, according to the Ars Technica post.

"If you don't pay, it's fine by me," the hacker's page said. "But remember, the way I got access to your iPhone can be used by thousands of others--they can send text messages from your number (like I did), use it to call or record your calls, and actually whatever they want, even use it for their hacking activities! I can assure you, I have no intention of harming you or whatever, but, some hackers do! It's just my advice to secure your phone."

The highly praised NIS 2010 can be yours for $9.99.

(Credit: Symantec)

Got security? Forget all the system-hosing nightmares Norton put you through in years past; the company's Norton Internet Security 2010 suite improves on the already seriously improved NIS 2009.

Fry's is currently offering NIS 2010 3-User Edition for $9.99 shipped. Unfortunately--and this is really unfortunate--that's after a pair of mail-in rebates [PDF and PDF] totaling $50.

I'll be the first to admit it: I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel today. The pickings, they be slim.

I mean, I don't particularly care for security software. Don't use it, in fact. And I know how most of you hate rebates.

On the other hand, NIS 2010 is already being touted as one of the top security suites, as evidenced by the reviews by CNET, PC Magazine, and even Amazon customers.

And normally it would run you $59.99 (or $69.99 if purchased directly from Symantec). Yeah, the rebates are a hassle, but it's hard to sneeze at saving $50-60 on something you're probably going to buy anyway.

Well? Worthwhile deal, or is it ruined by the rebates? For the record, you can still score IOBit Security 360 Pro for free if you're really trying to keep it cheap.

Lexar's JumpDrive Safe S3000 FIPS keeps your data safe in case of theft or loss.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

Thumbdrives offer arguably one of the most convenient ways to carry data around. However, because they are so small, they have been frequent culprits of data breaches. Enter the JumpDrive from Lexar.

The company announced Thursday its new JumpDrive Safe S3000 FIPS, which it claims is the world's first smart-card-based FITS 140-2 Level 3 validated flash drive.

Lengthy name aside, this is the most secure and easy-to-use thumbdrive I've ever gotten my hands on.

(FIPS 140-2, by the way, stands for Federal Information Processing Standard and is a U.S. government computer security standard used to accredit cryptographic modules. Level 3 of this standard is the second highest level of data security, which prevents the intruder from gaining access and requires a physical security mechanism to protect the data inside.)

Physically, the new JumpDrive looks very much like most standard thumbdrives on the market with a detachable lid that reveals the USB head. However, it is noticeably heavier due to its thick metal housing and a presumably sophisticated mix of high-security components inside. Its lid also has a thick layer of rubber insulation to keep the moisture out. According to Lexar, the drive exceeds military waterproof standards.

Lexar said the JumpDrive Safe S3000 FIPS is certified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and features hardware encryption and is the first of its kind to have atemper-resistant smart card to manage all security critical computations. The drive uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256-bit technology and utilizes an onboard hardware cryptographic controller to encrypt and decrypt data.

From the user's perspective, however, the drive is almost as easy to use as any thumbdrive. I tried it with a few computers and it worked very well.

(Credit: CNET / Josh Lowensohn)

The iPhone has many applications that let you view Web cams from around the world, but what about turning your phone into a remote camera of its own? A new app called IP Camera (warning: iTunes link) does just that. This $1.99 tool takes a photo from your iPhone's camera every 12 to 15 seconds, then posts it to a local Web page that can be accessed from other computers on the same network.

All that's needed for setup is to make sure your phone is on Wi-Fi, then to jot down the special local HTTP address it gives you. It will keep running until you quit the application manually or get a phone call; although like any good iPhone app it starts right back up when you're done with a call.

While there are very few bells and whistles, this app worked really well in my testing with an iPhone 3G. Although one big thing that's missing is a way to archive the photos it takes. You can temporarily stop its stream of photos, then save whichever one it's on, but it does not keep a "recents" on its Web page, or on your phone's camera roll.

I'd also like to see a way to change the frequency in which it takes photos, which could keep it from zapping too much juice if you're using it while disconnected from a power plug. And a way to run it with the display off would be nice too, since hitting the sleep button freezes the app into re-sending the same shot over and over again.

Tip: the iPod universal dock and iPhone 3G dock are both angled in such a way that makes it incredibly easy to perch your phone on a bookshelf or on top of a coworker's cube and get a great view. They'll never suspect you're watching their every move.

Related: DIY home surveillance with a Webcam

The IP Camera app turns your iPhone into a mini server, taking photos every 15 seconds and posting them almost-live to a Web page.

(Credit: CNET)

The cat and mouse game continues between Apple and the Dev Team, a group of guys who are passionate about freeing Apple handheld devices from the company's short leash. The Dev Team has been jailbreaking new Apple firmware for years, and it just did so again--though this time around it seems Apple is still taking the decisive lead.

The team announced Friday the availability of PwnageTool 3.13, which allows for jailbreaking and unlocking the iPhone 3GS running the latest firmware, version 3.1. Currently only a Mac version of the tool is available, but the Windows version will be out soon. (Keep in mind, however, that you download and use the PwnageTool at your own risk.)

A jailbroken iPhone can do a lot more than what Apple wants it to do.

(Credit: Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET)

The tool creates a custom firmware from the version 3.1 firmware released by Apple. To install it, you put the phone into recovery mode (turn it off, then plug it in while holding down the Home button) and use iTunes to restore the phone with the custom firmware (hold down the Option key while clicking on the Restore button).

The custom firmware, apart from jailbreaking, will not upgrade the baseband--the chip that connects the phone to a service provider--and therefore still allows the phone to be unlocked.

But there's a catch here. The tool only works with the iPhone 3GS that has been jailbroken with the firmware version 3.0 or 3.0.1. This means if you buy a new iPhone 3GS that already has version 3.1 on it or you have updated to version 3.1 using iTunes, there's still no way to have your phone jailbroken. There's even a rumor that there might never be one, unless a new exploit is found.

If this is true, it seems Apple has finally been able to gain significant ground in stopping the practice it claims could pose a threat to national security. And for thousands, if not millions of iPhone 3GS users who rely on jailbreaking and unlocking to use their phones with the service of their choice, this is sad news.

If you're one of the millions of iPhone users who've jailbroken their iPhones or iPod Touches--the desktop hacking trick that allows you to use non-Apple approved apps, access the iPhone's file system, and other tweaks--you'll want to hold off on the latest software update (3.1) that Apple announced Wednesday. Updating your iPhone or iPod Touch will break your jailbreak, meaning any services and apps you've installed via Cydia will be gone, as well as Cydia itself.

The Dev Team is working on a new app to jailbreak the current version, but no word yet from them on an expected launch date. That being said, the Dev Team traditionally has had a jailbreak method out within a few weeks of a software update.

Since none of the features of 3.1 is stand out "I have to have it now!" (OMG! Bulgarian keyboard!) you're better off downloading it for now via iTunes so you'll have it handy when the jailbreak software is out, which we'll tell you about here, naturally.

(Credit: Hammacher Schlemmer)

Hammacher Schlemmer gets top marks again for coming up with something that hits the Crave spot. The $59.95 Motion Detecting Telephone is a discreet way to maintain home security without clashing with the room decor. I mean, how subtle can a landline phone get in the living room? Plus that motion detector looks like any blinking light on the phone, so it won't warrant a closer inspection from nosy relations or neighbors.

How does it work? When motion is detected from someone walking past the phone, it will call (ingenious!) the number you've programmed, whereupon the built-in mic will kick in to allow you to listen in on what's going on in the room. It'll even record the sounds and send it to your mobile phone if needed. And just in case you're wondering, yes, it can function as a real telephone. Too bad there seems to be only one color choice.

(Source: Crave Asia via GadgetVenue)

I see you!

(Credit: CBS Interactive)

Tell us you're not really doing this, Palm? Really, we've been friends for over a decade. I've defended you when you had bad ideas and praised you when you had good ideas. But this time even I have to give a well earned "What the...?" I mean, you had to know that modern tech users value their privacy over pretty much anything else, and yet it looks like you're doing this?

It looks like you're sending a daily message to yourself from people's Pres without their knowledge. Why? And why would you have it include what apps are installed and, most frightening of all, their GPS coordinates? Why would you want to know exactly where your customers are on a daily basis?

You've made a great product with the Pre, Palm. Please disable this feature. It's a stain on a company that's known for user experience. If you can't disable it, would you at least change your privacy policies to note that if you're a Pre user, you're being spied on? Sure, it says that you'll gather users info when they use a location-based app--like, say, Google maps--but it doesn't say you'll do it whenever you feel like it. I'm hurt.

Honesty is the best policy, and honesty should be in your policy.

UPDATE: Palm sent me the following statement:

Palm takes privacy very seriously, and offers users ways to turn data collecting services on and off. Our privacy policy is like many policies in the industry and includes very detailed language about potential scenarios in which we might use a customer's information, all toward a goal of offering a great user experience. For instance, when location based services are used, we collect their information to give them relevant local results in Google Maps. We appreciate the trust that users give us with their information, and have no intention to violate that trust.

Well that certainly clears that up.