Nike+iPod=tracking device, researchers claim

Researchers at the University of Washington have discovered that the Nike+iPod Bluetooth-based kit for monitoring and recording running sessions can be used as a tracking device. Scott Saponas, a doctoral student in the university's computer science and engineering department, found the security flaw after buying the kit ostensibly to use during his own workouts. Curiosity got the better of him and as a result of his investigations he has built a number of low-cost devices that use information from his Nike+iPod to monitor his whereabouts. ...more

Receive phone calls through your finger

Japanese telecom company NTT DoCoMo has developed a radical new telephone that enables users to receive incoming calls by sticking their fingers in their ears. The new Whisper device is strapped onto the user's wrist and it translates audio signals into vibrations that travel through the wrist bones to the tips of the fingers. To hear the call, you have to stick a finger in your ear and speak back into the device using a microphone in the wristband. ...more

Sony and Apple to reconcile iTMS differences

Sony and Apple appear ready to put aside their differences and give Japanese iPod owners access to paid-for downloads from Sony's roster of musicians. Apple launched its iTunes Music Store in Japan last month without Sony on-board and promptly sold more than one million songs in four days. Sony appears to have decided that taking its share of iTunes sales is more important than the prospect of further boosting Apple's leadership of both the download and portable player markets. ...more

Police failing to prioritise cybercrime, peer warns

According to an independent peer, Lord Erroll, not enough is being done to prevent low-level cyber-crime as it is not a priority to the police or Home Office. Speaking at Microsoft's Architectural Insight Conference being held at the Celtic Manor resort in Wales, the peer said that cybercrime has been a contentious issue for some time and is not going away. 'E-Crime is climbing steadily, but it's not a Home Office or police priority,' said Erroll. ...more

Yoggie hails security on a stick

The innovative start-up firm Yoggie has unveiled what it claims is the world's first full security suite on a USB stick. The company claims the Yoggie Pico device will screen all internet traffic before it reaches the PC, and without impinging on the computer's processing power. The Linux-based device includes anti-virus, firewall and anti-spam protection among a series of other security applications aimed at both businesses and consumers. ...more