By: Edward Jackson (Editor In Chief)

Highly Anticipated App Brings Image-editing Power of Photoshop to Apple iPad 2

At Mobile World Congress, Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced that Adobe Photoshop Touch is now available for iPad 2, via the iTunes App Store. Adobe Photoshop Touch offers core Photoshop features, as well as new capabilities for creating and sharing in an app custom-built for tablets. The app is a central component of Adobe Touch Apps, a family of six intuitive touch screen applications, inspired by Adobe Creative Suite software. iPad versions of the other Adobe Touch Apps are expected later this year.

Photoshop Touch gives users the ability to combine multiple photos into layered images, make essential edits and apply professional effects to create beautiful artwork, touch up photos, paint, lay out ideas and much more. The Scribble Selection Tool allows users to easily extract objects in an image by simply scribbling on what to keep, and then what to remove. With Refine Edge technology from Photoshop, even hard-to-select areas with soft edges are easily captured when making selections. Photoshop Touch helps users quickly find images and share creations through integration with Facebook and Google Image Search.

“People will be amazed with what they can create on the iPad using Photoshop Touch,” said David Wadhwani, senior vice president and general manager, Digital Media Business Unit, Adobe. “Photoshop Touch combines the magic of Photoshop and its core features with the convenience of a tablet, bringing image-editing power to the fingertips of millions of people.”

“Adobe Photoshop Touch offers a huge convenience factor and boasts cool Photoshop features tailored for the iPad,” said Brian Yap, creative director, Boxing Clever. “Nearly all of the features I imagined being in Photoshop Touch are there, including the depth in layers, the extraction tools, and fade tool.”

“I love the organic process of working on the tablet. With Adobe Photoshop Touch, I have a new form of image creation with familiar tools but in a more relaxed work space, allowing me to rediscover image making through play rather than production,” Dan Marcolina, owner, Marcolina Design & Marcolina Slate. 

“My team and I put Photoshop Touch through the paces and it shines as a tool for on-the-go photo shoots,” said Tyler Stableford, photographer and director, Tyler Stableford Photography + Film. “Time is always critical when taking pictures during the golden hours of light. With a wireless connection, the art director and I can place photos, immediately as we take them, into a layer with the client’s artwork. This is really helpful when shooting catalog covers.” 

In addition to Photoshop Touch, Adobe expects to release the following touch apps for the iPad in the coming months: Adobe Collage for moodboards, Adobe Debut for presenting and reviewing creative work, Adobe Ideas for sketching, Adobe Kuler for exploring color themes, and Adobe Proto for website and mobile app prototyping.

Helpful Links:

• Artist Project Deconstruction: Bryan Yap

• Artist Project Deconstruction: Dan Marcolina

• Artist Project Deconstruction: Chris Georgenes

• Artist Project Deconstruction: Kyle Lambert

• Introducing Adobe Photoshop Touch on iPad 2 and Android

• Basic Retouching with Photoshop Touch

• Photoshop Touch Sky Replacement Tutorial

• Photoshop Touch Scribble Select Tool

• Photoshop Touch Paint Effect

• Photoshop Touch Add Effects

• Photoshop Touch Camera Fill

• Photoshop Touch Google Search

• Photoshop Touch Blend Modes

Pricing and Availability:

Adobe Photoshop Touch is available today in the iTunes App Store for US$9.99. Photoshop Touch is available in most geographies with English language support. The app will run on iPad 2 running on iOS5. For more information on Photoshop Touch, visit adobe products. Customers may submit feedback on the community powered feedback site, feedback photoshop. Users may also connect with the Photoshop Touch Team directly on Facebook, via Twitter or on the Photoshop blog. For Photoshop Touch how-to videos, visit adobe TV.

By: Edward Jackson (Editor In Chief)

Consumer Drive Delivers Faster, More Responsive Computing Experience and Extends the Life of Existing PCs

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today announced a high-performance solid state drive (SSD) for the retail channel. The SanDisk Extreme SSD is up to 10 times faster than a 7,200 RPM hard disk drive, enabling computer users to quickly boot and shut down their systems, launch applications faster and reduce wait times. The drive is also more durable and power efficient, delivering a reliable computing experience while maximizing battery life.

Extreme Performance:

The SanDisk Extreme SSD can boot a PC in less than 16 seconds and quickly shut down the system, delivering a significantly improved user experience to desktop and notebook users. For gamers, the SanDisk Extreme SSD can launch applications in a fraction of the time and reduce in-game delays by generating environments faster during sequence transitions. This is particularly important during massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs).

“Computer wait times are becoming a thing of the past thanks to SSDs,” said Kent Perry, director, product marketing, SanDisk. “Our SanDisk Extreme SSD delivers virtually instant boot and shutdown times along with faster application launches. It’s a huge improvement to the computing experience.” 

The SanDisk Extreme SSD delivers up to 83,000 maximum random write Input-Output Operations Per Second (IOPS) and up to 44,000 random read IOPS. High sequential read performanceof up to 550 megabytes-per-second (MB/s) and up to 520MB/s sequential write speed deliver faster, more responsive computing.

Extreme Reliability:

The SanDisk Extreme SSD is more reliable and durable than a hard disk drive and is backed by SanDisk’s reputation for quality. The drive contains no moving parts, decreasing the risk of data loss due to shock and vibration, and its mean time between failure (MTBF) greatly exceeds that of hard disk drives, giving users peace of mind that it will retain their files for the long term.

Additional Benefits:

The SanDisk Extreme SSD consumes 30 percent less power than a hard disk drive while generating less heat and noise, making it an ideal solution for notebook users who want to maximize their battery life while computing on the go. The drive provides cost savings for IT departments or DIY enthusiasts who want to extend the life of their existing PCs without buying an entirely new system. The drive is easy to install—simply plug it into a computer’s SATA port.

Pricing and Availability:

The SanDisk Extreme SSD is available worldwide now in 120 gigabyte (GB) and 240GB capacities carrying MSRPs of $189.99 and $399.99 respectively. A 480GB version of the drive will ship later this year with an MSRP of $749.99.

Achieves up to 500/420 MB/s Sequential Read/Write Speeds; Available In A Variety of Capacities and Form Factors

The SanDisk X100 SSD is available in capacities up to 512GB and utilizes multi-level cell (MLC) technology, a SATA 6Gb/s high-performance interface, advanced multi-streaming features and tiered caching technology. The drive offers up to 500/420 megabyte per second (MB/sec) sequential read/write speeds, and enables a user to copy a 4GB high-definition movie in less than 10 seconds*. In addition to the standard 2.5 inch form factor, the X100 SSD also comes in mSATA and customized thin form factors to address the emerging ultra-thin laptop market. SanDisk offers a wide variety of configuration options, including standalone and dual drive caching solutions.

“With the introduction of the X100 SSD, SanDisk now offers OEMs a complete selection of SSD storage choices,” said Kevin Conley, senior vice president and general manager, client storage solutions, SanDisk. “From the smallest BGA form factors of the iSSD to the economical lower power U100, all the way up to the high performance and high capacity points of our new X100, SanDisk offers a solution to meet the needs of notebook, desktop and ultra-thin laptop manufacturers.”

The SanDisk X100 SSD achieves long-term reliability through robust, continual background error checking and advanced NAND recovery mechanisms. The drive is available now for sampling to PC manufacturers and production-volume shipments.

Specifications:

Performance

• Up to 500/420 MB/s sequential read/write speeds

Capacity

• 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

Form Factor

• Cased 2.5 inch 7mm or 9.5mm, mSATA and customized form factors

Interface

• SATA 6Gb/s

Power Consumption

• Active Power (Typical): 150mW (@ 3.3V)
• Standby Mode (Typical): 75mW (@ 3.3V)

Reliability

• MTBF up to two million hours

Target Platforms

• Ultrabook, notebook, and desktop computers

We’re definitely excited about these speeds. With Ultrabooks set to dominate this year, what are the chances that Sandisk might be in some of those fancy chassis?

By: Edward Jackson (Editor In Chief)

 Avid’s award-winning technology is built into Avid Studio iPad app, making it quick and easy to create, edit and share professional quality movies on the go.

Avid, today announced the release of its first video editing application for the iPad—Avid Studio, available immediately at the Apple App Store. Leveraging decades of experience working closely with the world’s leading movie and television studios, Avid has made the Avid Studio app for the iPad easy enough for first-timers, yet sophisticated enough for more advanced editors. As the first iPad app for video editing to offer frame-by-frame editing accuracy and access to all kinds of media, Avid Studio for iPad allows users to quickly and easily create and share exciting, highly professional multimedia experiences, wherever they want to. As a special launch promotion, the rich capabilities of Avid Studio for iPad are available for the introductory price of only $4.99.

Avid Studio for iPad allows users to begin editing with ease by offering access to any videos, photos and audio already in their iPad library, or media that can be imported from iTunes, cameras and more. Users can then arrange clips in the Storyboard, make precision edits using the Timeline, and enhance their movie creations with high-quality transitions, effects and a soundtrack. They can then share movies directly to YouTube, Facebook and more—or export projects to Avid Studio software, where they can continue editing with even more advanced tools on their PC. In addition, editing enthusiasts can get started fast with an easy-to-understand how-to guide, included with the app.

Avid Studio for iPad comes with innovative features to help any movie enthusiast elevate their moviemaking, including:

• Precision Editing Tools: Avid Studio for iPad is the only app to offer a unique combination of Storyboard and Timeline features, allowing users to arrange clips in the Storyboard, then edit like a pro with the precision of the Timeline, which offers frame-by-frame trimming capability. Avid Studio for iPad also takes full advantage of touch capabilities to offer a fun, easy yet professional level editing experience. For example, with a touch or swipe, users can easily resize and rotate a title directly from the preview window, among other functions.

• Full Media Access: There are more creative options for editors, with access to all kinds of media—video, audio or photos—in their iPad library as well as access to media from devices via an iPad Camera Connection Kit (sold separately) or from iTunes or other sources. Users can also capture video and photos within the app for use in their projects. The app also automatically recognizes imported media that has been previously organized by albums, events, faces and more—providing fast, easy access.

• Easy Video and Audio Track Compositing: Users can unleash their creativity by dropping one clip on top of the other in the Storyboard to create a picture-in-picture effect or take advantage of the professionally-designed animated montage themes to layer their photos and videos, all included. Multiple audio tracks also allow for easy layering of music, audio and sound effects to create movie soundtracks.

• Export to Avid Studio for the PC: Avid Studio for iPad also offers a bridge to the power of the desktop by offering a direct link to Avid Studio software (for PC). Customers who use Avid Studio PC desktop software can continue editing their projects with additional powerful features including sophisticated photo and video correction tools, unlimited timeline tracks, an impressive collection of included content and more.

“More and more users are relying on mobile devices for media content creation, viewing and sharing, and we’re proud to deliver a feature-rich new app that takes powerful Avid technology and adapts it specifically for the iPad. Now video editors have a great, powerful and fun way to create movies and tell their stories,” said Tanguy Leborgne, vice president, creative enthusiasts products and solutions at Avid. “Editing enthusiasts can now use a mobile application that has our industry-leading video editing technology built into it—with the interactive capabilities of iOS—to help them make incredible movies at home or on the go.”

What Users are Saying:

“As a content producer, I can tell you that a video editing app like Avid Studio for the iPad is a breakthrough. Avid is the industry leader in the field of editing. Being creative and having trust in your tools is essential. Whether you’re new to video editing and animating a series of family photos, or a seasoned professional working on a music video for the “next big thing,” having a robust editing tool in the mobile environment is a must. The technology is here and the time has come with Avid Studio for the iPad,” said Michael Dixon, Founder of Stormnet Media, a leading production company creating innovative content with credits for Olivaylle Australian Olive Oil, Oprah Winfrey Network and America’s Got Talent.

Pricing and Availability:

The Avid Studio app for the iPad is available worldwide today from the App Store for a limited-time introductory price of $4.99. All prices listed are USD. For more information, please visit http://www.avid.com/avidstudioapp

By: Edward Jackson (Editor in Chief)

Mellanox 10GbE Products Primed for Upcoming Intel Romley/Sandy Bridge with PCI Express 3.0 Launch

Mellanox Technologies, Ltd., a leading supplier of high-performance, end-to-end connectivity solutions for data center servers and storage systems, today announced a new pricing structure and expanded channel for its high-performance line of end-to-end 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) solutions. Analysts are predicting significant movement towards 10GbE in 2012, particularly with the upcoming launch of the Intel Romley and Sandy Bridge with PCI Express 3.0 platform. Mellanox’s solutions provide end users with better application performance, lower power consumption and lower cost vs. offerings currently available from other Ethernet vendors.

With the launch today of the new pricing structure, Mellanox’s 10GbE price/port for switches and adapters are significantly below current industry averages:

Description & Recommended End User Price

• Mellanox SX1016
  1u, 64 port 10GbE switch
  $188 per port
• Mellanox SX1036
  1u, 64 port 10GbE, 36 40GbE switch
  $257 per port
• Mellanox ConnectX-3 EN
  2 port 10GbE host adapter
  $390 per card

According to Crehan Research, currently there are almost 170 million data center and server-class ports installed for 1GbE worldwide and about 25 million ports for 10GbE, 10GbE currently accounts for just 13 percent of all those installed Ethernet ports. In 2012, Crehan Research expects 10GbE to increase to 37 percent of the total annual market shipments.

“In 2012, we expect to see a significant increase in the number of 10GbE deployments, with it becoming the dominant and de facto data center network connection by 2014,” said Seamus Crehan, president, Crehan Research. “Price declines, such as the ones announced today from Mellanox, will help drive volume adoption.”

Mellanox has also expanded its Ethernet offering via its worldwide network of channel and distribution partners including Altima, Avnet, Colfax Direct, DScon, Hammer PLC, SAMboo Systems, Servants, SysOne, Tech Data, and others. A complete listing of Mellanox Authorized Distributors is available at mellanox.com. “The launch of the Intel Romley and Sandy Bridge platform in the coming months is going to give the industry a strong push towards faster interconnect speeds,” said Eyal Waldman, chairman, president and CEO of Mellanox Technologies. “For data center managers, 10GbE is the minimum data rate they should be considering for all deployments this year. Mellanox products and solutions are delivering 10GbE and higher data rates today – providing better application performance, lower power consumption and improved ROI.”

10GbE Webinar: January 30, 2012

Mellanox also today announced a new educational webinar taking place January 30 from 8:00am-9:00am PST. The webinar will include detailed 10GbE market data presented by Crehan Research, including adoption trends, forecasted market growth and an overview of Mellanox end-to-end 10GbE solutions. The webinar will also be held in Chinese on Thursday, February 9 from 10:00am-11:00am China Standard Time. For more information and to register, please visit mellanox.com.

By: Edward Jackson (Editor In Chief)

The Anthro mobile device family consists of two product lines. Choose between compact mobile Carts or stationary Cabinets to charge and store tablets and other mobile devices. Charging Carts hold and transport 40 devices. The stationary Cabinet is offered for tablets (20 iPad mobile devices or tablets) or for mini-touch devices (40 iPods pocket computers and similar devices).*drool*

The Tablet Charging Cart measures just 23.75”w x 24.5”d and is the smallest storage cart available on the market. Anthro’s Charging Cart is the ideal vertical storage solution in education and healthcare where space is at a premium. Individually-numbered bays easily hold 40 iPads including their cases. Cable management clips position the power inlet at the front of each bay for quick connection. Keyed door locks and a two-point locking system keep tablets secure. Each door features mounting points for padlocks for added security. A separate locking IT area is located in the back of the Charging Carts to protect adapters, cords and cables.

Accessories such as an optional Storage Drawer and a Sync Kit are also available. The optional Storage Drawer mounts under either Cart and is the perfect size (10.75”w x 14.5”d x 4”h) for keeping peripherals handy. Anthro’s Sync Kit is a 10-port USB hub which provides a wired connection to your iPads, iPods, and other devices so you can sync 10 at once.

Readily convertible to a mobile teaching station with its comfortable height of 46”, the Tablet Charging Cart includes a recessed top work surface which keeps a laptop from sliding off. The Tablet Cart features a lockable storage area for a laptop. Three external receptacles are conveniently located on the Tablet Cart for projectors and scanners. The 4” inch casters make it easy to transport the Tablet Charging Cart from room to room.

Charging Cabinets come in two mounting options. One option is to mount the Charging Cabinet on a wall. Or the Charging Cabinet can also be attached to the top of a counter or table. Whether wall-mounted or attached to a shelf or counter, the Cabinets organize the clutter of mobile devices and save valuable floor space. The Tablet Cabinet holds 20 devices and the Mini-touch Cabinet holds 40.

All of Anthro’s mobile device Carts and Cabinets feature a power indicator light and an on/off switch which protects the contents from a power surge when plugging in the cart and devices. The Anthro mobile device Carts and Cabinets ship assembled. Constructed of steel with a baked-on powder coat finish, the Charging Carts and Charging Cabinets have a Lifetime Warranty. A two year warranty covers electrical components. The cord and plug are not under warranty. Anthro Corp was founded in 1984. Anthro provides height-adjustable workstations for the healthcare, education, lab, business, engineering, and government markets.

By: Jenna Gonzalez (Editor In Chief)

Staff Note: As part of our spectacular summer giveaway extravaganza, we are giving away several of the newest smartphones all throughout August-September 2011. So make sure you and your friends “Like” us on Facebook . Remember that our contests are ONLY eligible to our fans and Facebook subscribers so don’t forget to LIKE us on FB! We will be giving away TWO BRAND NEW smartphones of our choice on August 30. All you have to do is “LIKE” us on FB and share with your friends! 

I’ve been lucky enough to own pretty much every tablet on the market today, as well most designer cases for them, but I’ve yet to own a designer branded tablet. Well, it looks like it’ll happen after all. Pierre Cardin has released what they tout as “The first designer tablet in the UK”. The French fashion house has made their way into the mobile electronics market with their new 7 inch, Android powered tablet and with leather case (no word on who the hardware maker is). Unfortunately I’m just a slight bit miffed, since for some unknown reason Pierre Cardin opted to go with Android 2.2 as it’s OS. When it comes to Android tablets, I’m at the very least a Honeycomb girl and I’m not looking to downgrade right now. The tablet offers all your basic features such as Google browser, Google map, Gmail, Skype, Google Market, Multimedia Player, Clock, Calculator, News, Weather, Voice Search, Adobe Flash 10.1 and more through the Android Market. So for those who aren’t looking for the latest from Android and would be happy with the basic day to day functions in a stylish package, this may be the tablet for you. Though this isn’t the most advanced Android tablet on the market, it is surprisingly affordable for those who want to be  technologically fashionable at ₤275 or $450US. So the question is, who wants one?

Via Pierre Cardin

SUMMER SMARTPHONE GIVEAWAY OFFICIAL RULES AND REGULATIONS

By: Edward Jackson (Senior Editor)

MAINGEAR unleashes their EPIC liquid cooling solutions on all desktops which offer up to 20% cooler temperatures and is maintenance free.

We here at MRT were introduced to MainGear back in Nov, 2010 at the Pepcom event in New York City. Then again at the 2011 CES event in Las Vegas where we sent our awesome writers Brittney Wilson & Foster Scott, with a further in-depth interview with this evolutionary machine on Jan 14, 2011. Here is a lil more info on this outstanding computer and its newest add on for all the over clocker’s out there…

MAINGEAR has partnered with CoolIT to create cooler, quieter and more affordable cooling system solutions for their desktop called their EPIC cooling solutions – (Enhanced Performance InterCooler)  There are three different cooling systems; The SHIFT desktop offers the exclusive EPIC 180, the F131 sports the EPIC 140 and the Vybe gets the EPIC 120.  More information will be available at: www.maingear.com/epic

Quick Highlights:

• The exclusive MAINGEAR EPIC 180 offers 20% increase in performance while maintaining fan speeds of less than 1,000 RPM
• The Patent cold plate Micofin technology design that allows maximum heat transfer between CPU and the cooling system
• All EPIC cooling systems is built with a closed loop circuit design which requires no maintenance
• The MAINGEAR EPIC cooling solutions are the quietest pumps in a closed loop solution on the market, allowing for even more overclocking
• The EPIC 180 is exclusive to MAINGEAR’s SHIFT desktop
• MAINGEAR EPIC cooling solutions offer  greater results for less money

MAINGEAR, an award-winning custom PC builder offering custom desktops, custom notebooks, pc workstations and media centers, is announcing the release of their exclusive MAINGEAR EPIC (Enhanced Performance InterCooler) liquid cooling solutions by CoolIT for their entire desktop lineup. In tradition with their legacy of innovation and design, MAINGEAR has collaborated with CoolIT to design the EPIC line of CPU cooling systems, which are the first of their kind in existence.  The MAINGEAR EPIC cooling solution provides a distinct advantage in all the problem areas of existing CPU cooling units: performance, loudness, and durability.

Key features are highlighted below: 

Higher Performance
The MAINGEAR EPIC 180 liquid cooling system sports a massive 180mm radiator which offers 20% cooler temperatures than a 120mm radiator. It outperforms all high end air coolers on the market today and goes toe to toe with hand built liquid cooling solutions

The thermal resistance of the EPIC 180 is an incredible 0.075 degrees C/W (Celsius per watt), which means even an extremely overclocked CPU will have the heat dissipation needed to keep it cool and stable. The MAINGEAR EPIC 180 will outperform 120mm solutions increasing up to 20% performance while maintaining a fan speed of less than 1000 rpm.

Forward Thinking Design
The EPIC 180 liquid cooling system not only keeps the MAINGEAR SHIFT much cooler, but the streamlined design also shows the engineering and innovative thought process behind it. The copper material on the surface utilizes a patented cold plate with Microfin technology that allows maximum heat transfer between the CPU and the cooling system.

Affordable and Maintenance Free
Not only does the new EPIC cooling system outperform most hand built liquid cooling units out in the market today, the MAINGEAR EPIC 180 is also much more affordable, delivering greater results for less money.

Customers that have this cooling solution will also be happy to hear it has a closed loop circuit design which requires no maintenance, so they don’t have to check on it for liquid at all. Ever.

“The EPIC 180 is the most aggressive cooling system we’ve ever built and we were delighted to work with the MAINGEAR team to create a custom built system that delivers the ultimate in silent cooling.”  Said Geoff Lyon, President and CEO of CoolIT Systems Inc. “MAINGEAR has been fearless in its no-holds-barred approach to building the fastest PC’s in the world and it’s our privilege to be an exclusive part of their product strategy.”

“The EPIC liquid cooling series that we are offering on our desktops is our testament to constantly innovate and develop ways to make faster, quieter and better products.” Said Wallace Santos, Founder and CEO of MAINGEAR. “Working with CoolIT was a perfect partnership where we were able to combine the best of engineering, functionality and design.”

The SHIFT custom pc will have the option of selecting the EPIC 180, while the F131 gaming pc will sport the EPIC 140 (available soon) and the Vybe will have the EPIC 120 cooling solutions respectively. The EPIC 180 and 120 are available today. All MAINGEAR EPIC liquid cooling systems are incredibility silent at idle, whisper quiet under load, and allow MAINGEAR custom built computers to be overclocked even more than ever.

All of MAINGEAR products are supported by MRT and come with a lifetime labor and phone support with one to three year hardware warranty. For more information about MAINGEAR’s custom pc solutions, [click here] and get one yourself for pure OMGPWNAGE power!!!

By Foster Scott (Contributing  Editor)

To listen to a podcast of this article, click Foster’s epsilon Podcast

When friends and family learn you are into tech, questions of security and spam are right up there with what brand to buy and which piece of tech is better than the next.  So when I am asked the same question over and over again I know it is time to put a spotlight on a current situation.  Over the last month, questions about epsilon and who they are have been asked by many a family member, friend and coworker.  Who is epsilon and how did they get my name and email? How were they even in the position to have it fall into the wrong hands, since I don’t even remember doing business with them.

Let me start with companies you should know by now or more importantly, may have given your name and email to.  This would have happened when signing up for things like company newsletters, contests or as part of registering a product.  Companies like:

• Target
• BestBuy
• Verizon
• MoneyGram
• Capital One
• Tivo
• Kroger
• US Bank
• JPMorgan Chase
• CITI
• and many more

See, I thought you would know a few.  Part of the condition of giving some companies your name and email (for entering contests or signing up for things like online discounts) you agree to let them send you future emails. These are legit companies with legit reasons for contacting you.   Now for the epsilon part.  Many companies then use a company like epsilon to handle said email communications.  It just so happens that epsilon is the world’s largest permission based email marketing provider.  They send over 40 BILLION emails annually and counts over 2,500 businesses as its client.  That includes 7 of the Fortune 10 companies, each choosing to use epsilon to build and host their customer databases.  Early this April we found out some of the names and email addresses from that database is now in the wrong hands.  The affected clients represent about 2% of epsilon’s total client base.

This means phishers (people who use techniques to trick others into giving out personal information through email solicitation) can target attacks more efficiently and thus have a better chance to take your identity plus your hard earned money.  How you say? Normally a phisher would have to send out many random emails to a person and hope one gets clicked.  If you have never been to or never started an account at Bed Bath & Beyond then a email you get from them can safely be considered spam.  Same with a credit unions you have never visited or even heard of.  Now my example: I have Tivo, and an ongoing email account with them for years.  Now a phisher knows a company I use, along with  my name and email.  I’m sure I can expect a future email to look like it is from Tivo, calling me by name, and sent to a email account I regularly use for contact from Tivo.  Perhaps it will ask me to verify my account through a link.  My spam filter may not catch it since Tivo is on my allowed email list.  Now you can see how big a problem this could be.

Phishers love to hang out in shadows of legit companies.  One of the easiest ways to trick consumers out of their information is look legit, act in a way a company you trust would act and then hope you click the page or the link to enter your information (or more importantly, make you believe it is just re-entering account info).  They even make the page you are directed to “look and act” like the real site.  For this to work, they are counting on one simple factor.  That you are too lazy to call or go directly to the website they are posing as.  That you will just click the little blue link and trust rather than the extra 10 seconds it would take to type the address into your browser of choice.  So what can you do?

For once, the answer is simple.  It only takes a little effort on your part and it is not rocket science.  Do not follow links from unsolicited emails!  Really, that is it.  I have never heard of a legit company asking for account info or telling me my password may not be working and to please type it in again through a email.  Never a SSN or birthday either.  Most will just say, Company A is trying to reach you, please log in to your account for more info.  Then you go into your account through their site, not a link included into a email.

Even epsilon can be quoted saying, “Do not follow links from unsolicited e-mails, even when they appear to come from a person or organization you are familiar with. If you are unsure of the authenticity of an e-mail communication, call the organization in question directly or access their page by typing the URL into your browser.”

Some more info given on epsilon’s website are good guidelines and info you can use…

“To avoid getting hooked:

Don’t reply to email messages that ask for personal or financial information. Delete any emails that ask you to confirm or divulge your financial information. Legitimate companies don’t ask for this information via email. If you are concerned about your account, contact the organization mentioned in the email using a telephone number you know to be genuine, or open a new internet browser session and type in the company’s correct Web address yourself.

Don’t email personal or financial information. Email is not a secure method of transmitting personal information. If you initiate a transaction and want to provide your personal or financial information through an organization’s website, look for indicators that the site is secure, like a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a URL for a website that begins “https:” (the “s” stands for “secure”). Unfortunately, no indicator is foolproof; some phishers have forged security icons.

Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from emails you receive — regardless of who sent them.

Don’t cut and paste a link from the message into your Web browser — phishers can make links look like they go one place, but that actually send you to a different site.

Check the “from” field. Phishers can easily spoof authentic email addresses, making it appear that an email is coming from an authentic, trusted sender, but checking the “from” field can at least help you identify unsophisticated phishers. If the “from” email contains excessive characters, has spelling mistakes, or does not share the same domain as the company (e.g. “@companycustomershelp.com” (illegitimate) vs. “@company.com” (legitimate)) you might have found a phish.

Look for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. A lot of phishing activity originates from outside the U.S. where English is not the first language so when they craft these emails they often make grammatical errors or spelling mistakes – errors your real bank would never make in a professional customer email.

Some scammers send an email that appears to be from a legitimate business and ask you to call a phone number to update your account or access a “refund.” Because they use Voice over Internet Protocol technology, the area code you call does not reflect where the scammers really are. If you need to reach an organization you do business with, call the number on your financial statements or on the back of your credit card.

Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software, as well as a firewall, and update them all regularly. Some phishing emails contain software that can harm your computer or track your activities on the internet without your knowledge. Anti-virus software and a firewall can protect you from inadvertently accepting such unwanted files. Anti-virus software scans incoming communications for troublesome files. A firewall helps make you invisible on the internet and blocks all communications from unauthorized sources.

Forward phishing emails to spam@uce.gov – and to the legitimate company that is being misrepresented in the phishing email. You also may report phishing email to reportphishing@antiphishing.org. The Anti-Phishing Working Group, a consortium of ISPs, security vendors, financial institutions and law enforcement agencies, uses these reports to fight phishing.

If you’ve been scammed, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft website at ftc.gov/idtheft and file a report with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/complaint.”

For more on epsilon’s press release you can read it here.

Okay, so what if you really want to use the link?  Maybe you want to check it first so you can reopen that email later and reuse the link instead of always typing it into a web browser.  I would say to learn how to open a new .txt file on your desktop.  Name it whatever you like as you will not be saving info on it.  What you will be doing is right clicking the link to copy it to your clipboard.  Open the .txt file and then paste the link into it.  You now can look for spelling errors, extra words or names like mymyspace.com. You will be able to see the link before clicking it.  Then close the .txt file without saving it (unless you want to keep track of the links you click). Some browsers like Chrome will show you the link you will be directed to.  To see it, hover your pointer over the link but do not click it. Look at the lower left corner of the browser and you should see the true address the link is pointing to.  Although if the link is a long one, you may not see all of it so I stick with the cut and paste into a text (.txt) file.

For an up-to-date list of confirmed companies affected by the attack, check out SecurityWeek’s list here.

Want MRT to check into something that confuses you?  Is there something you would like MRT to find out more about.  The only bad question is the one unasked so please ask away in the comments.

By: Edward Jackson (Senior Editor)

Lenovo IdeaPad laptop-brand offered for first time at 1,000+ U.S. Best Buy retail locations.

Lenovo today announced that it will expand its portfolio of Lenovo PCs at more than 1,000 Best Buy U.S. retail stores beginning April 3, 2011. The Lenovo B560 laptop, IdeaPad Z565 and Lenovo V560 will join the Best Buy selection, marking the first time Lenovo’s consumer laptops will be offered at Best Buy stores. All Best Buy stores in the U.S. will offer the Lenovo B560 laptop as well as the IdeaPad Z565 laptop, while select stores also will carry the Lenovo V560 laptop.

“Personal technology fits uniquely within a customer’s lifestyle, and today’s consumers who are wanting to see, touch and feel a PC in order to find their perfect fit can now find Lenovo models across the U.S. at Best Buy locations,” said David Bent, executive director, Sales and Marketing, Consumer Group, Lenovo North America. “By partnering with Best Buy, we’re extending the opportunities for consumers to try Lenovo PCs firsthand and experience our PCs’ advanced computing features and seamless connectivity with immersive multimedia.”

Lenovo B560 Laptop

The Lenovo B560 laptop, featuring a 15.6-inch LED HD display, covers all the bases, delivering multimedia in stunning clarity as well as video chat and Web surfing. A built-in webcam makes staying in touch with family and friends easy. All personal and confidential information is safeguarded with key security features like the one swipe fingerprint reader and the OneKey Rescue System for quick data backup and recovery.

Lenovo IdeaPad Z565 Laptop 

Powered by an AMD Phenom II Dual-Core processor, the IdeaPad Z565 provides the ultimate entertainment experience in a fashionable design, sporting a sleek, AccuType island-style keyboard. The laptop’s HD, 16:9 format 15.6-inch widescreen and Dolby Advanced Audio gives users a rich visual and audio movie and Internet TV experience. OneKey Theater II provides one-touch audio-visual optimization for clearer, brighter images, enhancing the multimedia experience.

Lenovo V560 Laptop

The Lenovo V560 laptop turns heads with its stylish slender design, smooth metallic casing and glossy HD widescreen display. With its Intel Core i3 processor and WiMAX support, consumers have power and speed. The Lenovo Energy Management software helps extend battery life for consumers on the go, and the 1.3 megapixel webcam makes video conferencing crystal clear. The secure, easy swipe fingerprint reader offers extra security in combination with Lenovo’s OneKey Rescue System to keep data backed up and recoverable making this the ideal PC for the home or office.

Best Buy Retail Store Promotion

From April 3 – 30, 2011, Best Buy Reward Zone members will receive Double Points for any Lenovo PC purchases made at Best Buy stores and on [BestBuy.com].

Expanded Lenovo PC Portfolio at Best Buy

Today’s additions broaden the portfolio of Lenovo PCs available at Best Buy stores and on BestBuy.com, including Lenovo’s IdeaCentre K Series desktops, which have been offered at Best Buy stores and on BestBuy.com since September 2010. Select Think-branded PCs, such as the ThinkPad Edge laptop, are also offered at [Best Buy For Business] retail locations and online at BestBuy.com, providing small business customers easy access to business-class technology.

By: Edward Jackson (Senior Editor)

Features Enhanced Performance/Reliability, Larger Capacities and 25nm Intel NAND Flash Memory

Intel Corporation announced today its highly anticipated third-generation solid-state drive (SSD) the Intel Solid-State Drive 320 Series (Intel SSD 320 Series). Based on its industry-leading 25-nanometer (nm) NAND flash memory, the Intel SSD 320 replaces and builds on its high-performing Intel X25-M SATA SSD. Delivering more performance and uniquely architected reliability features, the new Intel SSD 320 offers new higher capacity models, while taking advantage of cost benefits from its 25nm process with an up to 30 percent price reduction over its current generation.

“Intel designed new quality and reliability features into our SSDs to take advantage of the latest 25nm silicon, so we could deliver cost advantages to our customers,” said Pete Hazen, director of marketing for the Intel Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) Solutions Group. “Intel’s third generation of SSDs adds enhanced data security features, power-loss management and innovative data redundancy features to once again advance SSD technology. Whether it’s a consumer or corporate IT looking to upgrade from a hard disk drive, or an enterprise seeking to deploy SSDs in their data centers, the new Intel SSD 320 Series will continue to build on our reputation of high quality and dependability over the life of the SSD.”

The Intel SSD 320 is the next generation of Intel’s client product line for use on desktop and notebook PCs. It is targeted for mainstream consumers, corporate IT or PC enthusiasts who would like a substantial performance boost over conventional mechanical hard disk drives (HDDs). An SSD is more rugged, uses less power and reduces the HDD bottleneck to speed PC processes such as boot up and the opening of files and favorite applications. In fact, an upgrade from an HDD to an Intel SSD can give users one of the single-best performance boosts, providing an up to 66 percent gain in overall system responsiveness.

The Intel SSD 320 Series comes in 40 gigabyte (GB), 80GB, 120GB, 160GB and new higher capacity 300GB and 600GB versions. It uses the 3 gigabit-per-second (3gbps) SATA II interface to support an SSD upgrade for the more than 1 billion SATA II PCs installed throughout the world. Continuing to offer high-performing random read and write speeds, which most affect a user’s daily computing experience, the Intel SSD 320 produces up to 39,500 input/output operations per second (IOPS) random reads and 23,000 IOPS random writes on its highest-capacity drives. In addition, the company has more than doubled sequential write speeds from its second generation to 220 megabytes-per-second (MB/s) sequential writes and still maintains one of the highest read throughputs at up to 270 MB/s sequential reads. This greatly improves a user’s multitasking capabilities. For example, a user can easily play background music or download a video, while working on a document with no perceivable slow down.

Already one of the most solid-performing SSDs over time, Intel continues to raise the bar on SSD reliability in the way it has architected its third generation, using proprietary firmware and controller, to further demonstrate that not all solid-state drives are created equal. In this rendition, Intel creatively uses spare area to deploy added redundancies that will help keep user data protected, even in the event of a power loss. It also includes 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard capabilities on every drive, to help protect personal data in the event of theft or loss.

“Solid-state drives continue to be one of the hottest trends in computing,” said Bernard Luthi, vice president of marketing, Web management and customer service at leading e-retailer Newegg.com. “Intel remains a top brand because of its consistent performance and extremely low return rate. We are sure customers will welcome the new higher capacity drives, and now is a great time for consumers to upgrade their PC to a fast new SSD.”

Intel SSD 320 prices, based on 1,000-unit quantities, are as follows: 40GB at $89; 80GB at $159; 120GB at $209; 160GB at $289; 300GB at $529 and 600GB at $1,069. Check retailers/e-tailers for consumer pricing. All models include a limited 3-year warranty from Intel.

“With recent announcements, we have expanded our SSD product line and now offer both consumers and computer OEMs more SSD choices,” said Tom Rampone, vice president and general manager, Intel NVM Solutions Group. “We see the Intel SSD 320 as a solid advancement to our SSD roadmap, and will continue to upgrade and refresh our SSD product line as we add more enterprise options for our business customers throughout the year.”

Another benefit for Intel SSD purchasers is the [Intel SSD Toolbox] with Intel® SSD Optimizer, a free utility which provides Microsoft Windows users with a powerful set of management, information and diagnostic tools to help maintain the health and out-of-box performance of the drive. To help ease the installation process, all Intel SSD users can download the free [Intel Data Migration Software] to help clone the entire content of a previous storage drive (SSD or HDD) to any Intel SSD.