Spying school district update: remote webcam functionality disabled, two IT monkeys suspended

We’re still waiting for all the legal fallout from the Pennsylvania’s Lower Merion School District webcam spying case, but more news is slowly trickling out about the whole thing, including the technology that the school used: a remote administration suite called LANrev. An update to the software, releasing this week, will disable the option for admins (or pervy IT workers) to remotely switch on a computer’s webcam, hopefully preventing a replay of this situation. Beyond that, two unnamed (and possibly pervy) IT workers have been suspended for their involvement in this whole situation. Are they the ones who went too far, or was it their managers who ordered them to do it and are now throwing their dutiful peons to the fire? We may never know the truth, but at least we can now frolic naked in front of our MacBooks without fearing that dreaded green light.

Spying school district update: remote webcam functionality disabled, two IT monkeys suspended originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  The Unofficial Apple Weblog, The Philadelphia Inquirer  | Email this | Comments

School allegedly uses students’ laptop webcams for espionage, lawsuit ensues

Hold onto your butts, kids, we’ve got a doozy of a story. Let’s take this one slow: a class-action lawsuit has been filed in Pennsylvania accusing the Lower Merion school district of “unauthorized, inappropriate and indiscriminate remote activation” of webcams in laptops issued to students, without prior knowledge or consent. The tale begins when Assistant Principal Lindy Mastko of Harriton High School informed a student that he was “engaged in improper behavior in his home”; the suit alleges that when pressed for details, Mastko told both the boy and his father that the school district could remotely activate the webcam — a capability that is apparently being used.

The school district has yet to respond to the accusations, so at this point we’ve only got the plaintiff’s side of the story — for all we know this kid took a picture of himself and somehow accidentally uploaded it on the school network. Then again, some purported Lower Merion students just emailed Gizmodo and claimed that their MacBooks’ green webcam lights went on at random times, but they were told by IT support that it was just a technical glitch. Holy alleged invasion of privacy, Batman, this could get mighty interesting. PDF of the complaint available below.

Update: The Lower Merion School District superintendent Christopher McGinley has issued an official response on its website, acknowledging “a
security feature intended to track lost, stolen and missing laptops.” Going further, he says the district ”
has not used the tracking feature or web cam for any other purpose or in any other manner whatsoever” but that the matter is “under review.”

[Thanks, Yossi]

School allegedly uses students’ laptop webcams for espionage, lawsuit ensues originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Boing Boing, WHYY  |  Lawsuit (PDF), Gizmodo  | Email this | Comments

Apple opens up repair program for some MacBook hard drives

This one goes back a few years, but Apple has now finally, officially confirmed a hard drive problem that has plagued some MacBooks, and it’s announced a repair program that will allow you to get your hard drive replaced even if the MacBook is out of warranty. The specific models covered are both black and white MacBooks from 2006 and 2007 with 1.83GHz, 2GHz, or 2.16GHz processors, and either 60GB, 80GB, 100GB, 120GB, or 160GB hard drives. As you may recall, the hard drive issue in question is a pretty nasty one that can leave your data unrecoverable, but it seems like Apple will only replace your drive once you’re stuck with the flashing question mark on boot-up — it’s just recommending that people backup their data in the meantime. Hit up the link below for the complete details.

Apple opens up repair program for some MacBook hard drives originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Macworld  |  Apple  | Email this | Comments

Current MacBook Pro SKU given mark of death in Best Buy database?

We’ll admit to not being leading the field of study in Best Buy-ology, but here comes a new quiz for us care of a tipster who sent TUAW a screenshot of the inventory screen that shows what looks to be the current MacBook Pro SKU with status: deleted. What that means is no new orders can be made for that unit, at least for that particular store. Sign of impending MBP refresh? Intel certainly had us riled up last month with that Core i5-infused flier, but we won’t get fooled again. Don’t hold your breath for this one, but if more telltale signs start popping up, we’ll be sure let ya know.

Update: Giving credit where due; the image originates from the MacRumors forums.

[Thanks, Jose R]

Current MacBook Pro SKU given mark of death in Best Buy database? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TUAW  |  MacRumors  | Email this | Comments

Illusion Labs shows off multitouch ‘Touchgrind’ gaming demo on a MacBook

One of our favorite iPhone games is Touchgrind. Sure, we’re terrible at it, but at least we feel like we’re accomplishing something “totally street” and “badass” with the multitouch input that the iPhone allows. Well, Illusion Labs is looking at bringing some of that magic to the Mac. They’ve got a demo up of the game running in a jumbo manner on a multi-finger-friendly MacBook. It looks pretty much like a straight port at this point, but hopefully the added horsepower and screen size of the Mac can make this into something a bit more magical — and maybe even trick us into thinking we’re decent fingerboardists, if only for a moment. Right now this is just a tech demo, and there are no firm plans of a release. From the noodlings of Illusion Labs’ Twitter account, it looks like they also wouldn’t mind porting it to an “iSlate” if the opportunity presented itself. Hear that, Cupertino? You might be able to get someone to build an app for this mythical device! Big sigh of relief, we’re sure. Video is after the break.

Continue reading Illusion Labs shows off multitouch ‘Touchgrind’ gaming demo on a MacBook

Illusion Labs shows off multitouch ‘Touchgrind’ gaming demo on a MacBook originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MacRumors  |  Illusion Labs  | Email this | Comments

Apple rumor roundup: pipe dreams, Lala’s role and Verizon’s iPhone 4G

In case you haven’t noticed, things are getting out of hand in the world of Apple rumors. Frankly, it’s all we can do to read another one and trudge onward, but hey — we’ve no problem with folks putting their reputations on the line here. Let’s dig in to the latest pair, shall we?

The rumor: Apple’s acquisition of Lala will actually lead to customers having access to an “online locker” for multimedia. This could be a cloud storage location for one’s iTunes library, enabling them to have access to their jams and vids even when away from their at-home storage. The trick is that the cloud would only hold the metadata, and streaming would originate from somewhere else on Apple’s end.
Our take: Okay, so we want to believe. Just imagine if your next Apple tablet or iPhone knew exactly what songs you owned in iTunes, and at a moment’s notice, you could tap into the iTunes store and stream full, unedited versions of those songs from anywhere. Amazing, no? Problem is, the bulk of iTunes libraries aren’t made up of content that was purchased in iTunes (or purchased at all). It seems that the best Apple could do would be to negotiate streaming deals for content you’ve actually purchased within iTunes, which results in a half-baked user experience. Last we checked, Stevie J wasn’t much on half-baked user experiences.

The rumor: Astoundingly, the mythical Apple tablet won’t be the company’s “one more thing” next week; instead, it’ll be a refreshed iPhone… that works on Verizon Wireless. Oh, and iPhone OS 4.0. So says Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek, anyway.
Our take: Ha! Apple has never been one to showcase too much at one time, and we’re guessing that the outfit would be smart enough to withhold a new iPhone introduction for a separate press event. We don’t doubt that a Verizon iPhone is in the works (though an LTE version will be at least a year or two out), but there’s no way Jobs steals the tablet’s thunder by giving every rabid iPhone user hot sweats when considering the switch to Big Red. Bottom line? Don’t bank on it.

At this point, we reckon everyone would be best served by taking a huge step back, a deep breath and one of those so-called “chill pills.” Next Wednesday ain’t so far away, now is it?

Apple rumor roundup: pipe dreams, Lala’s role and Verizon’s iPhone 4G originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  All Things D, Electronista  | Email this | Comments

MacBook Pro with Intel Core i5 processor revealed via Intel promo flier? (update: prize now Envy 15 instead)

Far be it for us to argue with order of operations, but an apparent Intel Retail Edge Program promotional email has revealed a contest where those who pass this month’s training can win one of two MacBook Pros with Intel Core i5 processors inside. Only catch is, that’s a model that doesn’t yet exist — whoops! Don’t know how long the company expects those winners to wait, but we’ve gone ahead and kept our calendars clear for the end of the month, just in case Apple feels the urge to send out any last-minute press conference invites.

Update: We’ve been sent a new flier from Intel that “corrects” the contest. The prize is now one of two Envy 15s with Core i5. Sure, we’ve joked about the physical similarities before, but did someone really mix the two up that egregiously? Only time will tell. Correction email reprinted after the break.

[Thanks, Mike!]

Continue reading MacBook Pro with Intel Core i5 processor revealed via Intel promo flier? (update: prize now Envy 15 instead)

MacBook Pro with Intel Core i5 processor revealed via Intel promo flier? (update: prize now Envy 15 instead) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  AppleInsider  | Email this | Comments

Inklet trackpad tablet app for MacBook is Wacom’s worst nightmare

Doodle much? Not us — we just keep things in our heads which is probably for the best, but Ten One Design — maker of Pogo Stylus and Pogo Sketch — has just come up with a new solution for MacBook artists. The Inklet app essentially converts your multitouch trackpad into a drawing tablet by adding pressure sensitivity when using with a Pogo Sketch, as well as “advanced palm rejection” which lets you rest your hand while drawing or writing. As you can see in one of the videos after the break, you can also quickly adjust your canvas area at your convenience. $24.95 and it’s yours, Picasso.

Continue reading Inklet trackpad tablet app for MacBook is Wacom’s worst nightmare

Inklet trackpad tablet app for MacBook is Wacom’s worst nightmare originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MacWorld  |  Ten One Design  | Email this | Comments

Nokia asks ITC to ban iPhone, iPod, and MacBook imports, files another lawsuit against Apple

Looks like Nokia is going all-out in its patent fight with Apple: in addition to the lawsuit it’s filed over GSM standards and last week’s International Trade Commission complaint, Espoo just filed a second complaint with the federal court, alleging that Apple’s infringing several “implementation patents” that cover everything from camera sensors to touchscreens. That’s three fronts in the same war, if you’re counting — the original regarding GSM patents, and these two latest over specific device technologies. The biggest bombshell so far is the ITC complaint, in which Nokia’s asking the commission to ban imports of basically every Apple mobile product from the MacBook to the iPhone for infringing its device patents — a strategy we’ve seen in other high-profile cases. Since the ITC has the ability to move quite quickly, we’d expect that case to be the primary battleground for the moment — but remember that Apple has plenty of its own incredibly broad patents of its own to fight back with here, so don’t expect a quick resolution. Looks like 2010 is going to be awfully good for these attorneys, don’t you think?

[Thanks, Matt]

Nokia asks ITC to ban iPhone, iPod, and MacBook imports, files another lawsuit against Apple originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Nokia Views  |  ITC complaint (PDF), Federal complaint (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Unibody MacBook dips to $728 educational pricing

Unibody MacBook dips to $728 educational pricing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Apple Store  | Email this | Comments

• Recent Posts

  • NBC-Comcast deal comes under Justice Department, FCC scrutiny
  • Toshiba’s Wheelie robot carries your dinner, doesn’t do burnouts (video)
  • Carnegie Mellon student shows that 64 pixels is enough for Mario (video)
  • Eric Schmidt confirms Chrome OS is on schedule, on target
  • Microsoft loses second Word patent appeal, on the hook for $240 million in damages
  • iPad pre-order is go — will you buy one?
  • Unreal Engine 3 adds extra dimension with NVIDIA 3D Vision
  • Ricoh GXR gets accessorized, is ready for the town — or the shooting range
  • Ricoh GXR gets acessorized, is ready for the town — or the shooting range
  • Sony’s ultra-compact concept shooter will come with an APS sensor, UI shows up on video

• Categories

  • Uncategorized

• Archives

  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009

• Blogroll

  • Development Blog
  • Documentation
  • Engadget - Engadget
  • - PK with PHP!
  • - PK with PHP!
  • Plugins
  • Suggest Ideas
  • Support Forum
  • Themes
  • WordPress Planet

• Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS

Installed by SimpleScripts