Two hackers have figured out a way to unlock lost Apple devices -- a boon for criminals with stolen iPhones and iPads.

 

The hackers have discovered a method for bypassing a protective feature on Apple services. Lost your iPhone? No worries. Something called "Activation Lock" turns it into a useless brick by connecting to Apple servers via its iCould service.

But a Dutch hacker going by the name AquaXetine and a Moroccan hacker with the name Merruk Technolog have discovered a way around that.

By plugging your iPhone or iPad into a computer and altering a file inside, you trick the device into connecting to the hackers' server instead. Once connected, the server will tell the iPhone or iPad to unlock.

The process is clunky, but folks around the world are already celebrating that it works.

JetBlue has a funky rule for its frequent flyer members. Make whatever password you want. Just don't use a letter 'Q' or 'Z.'

 

The dangerously lame "Password1" is okay, but "QueazyQuetzal" is not. How quizzical.

As it turns out, the rule stems from the old school limitations of making travel reservations by phone.

First a little history. Booking flights in the 1950's was a total pain. Without a computer network to avoid double-booking a seat, airline operators would huddle close together and jot down reservations by hand. 

That went away in the 1960's after American Airlines (AAL) partnered up with IBM to develop SABRE, a revolutionary computer system that could process -- in real time -- sales agents' 83,000 daily phone calls.

But rotary and touch-tone phones at the time didn't have a 'Q' or 'Z.' The number 1 belonged to long distance calls, and 0 for the operator. That left eight numbers to cover the entire alphabet. Bell Telephone Company assigned three letters to each number and left out the two letters we use least: 'Q' and 'Z.' 

That's how airlines became dependent on a phone-based reservation system with a limited alphabet.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is revising his controversial Internet Fast lane plan after facing mounting pressure from consumer advocates and Silicon Valley giants.

 

Under the new proposal, it will still be okay for Internet service providers to charge companies like Netflix and Amazon for faster access to customers. But the FCC will ensure broadband companies like Comcast and Time Warner Cable won't put non-paying companies in a "slow lane," according to an agency official. 

Confused? You're not alone.

The new proposal employs some strange logic. There can't be a fast lane without a slow-by-comparison lane. And Wheeler's plan isn't much of a revision of his former proposal. It's a restatement of his initial idea -- with an emphasis that the FCC will put its foot down if broadband providers abuse their new powers. 

In a Friday letter to two pro-net neutrality groups Wheeler sought to reassure open Internet advocates that he won't let broadband providers run amok.

"If someone acts to divide the Internet between 'haves' and 'have nots,' I will use every power at our disposal to stop it," Wheeler wrote. That includes labeling broadband Internet a utility, he said, which would give the FCC far more power to regulate the industry. Referred to as the "nuclear option," that's extremely unlikely to happen, given Congress' oversight of the FCC and the powerful telecommunications lobby's staunch opposition of increased regulation.

It's usually illegal to make robocalls to cell phones, but one conservative robocalling firm apparently hasn't gotten the message.

 

 

The Federal Communications Commission announced a $2.9 million fine Thursday against Dialing Services LLC, a New Mexico-based firm that the FCC says continued to place robocalls over the past year despite having been warned doing so in March of 2013.

Dialing Services runs the website gopcalls.com, which says it's worked with Republican candidates and conservative causes "for over two decades." The site claims to have provided "calling solutions" for political candidates including Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo and George W. Bush.


The company received its warning from the FCC last year after allegedly placing more than 4.7 million robocalls to mobile phones during the 2012 election cycle. It's illegal to place robocalls to cell phones except in limited circumstances: when the calls are made for emergency purposes, or when they're made with the prior consent of the recipient.
FCC enforcement chief Travis LeBlanc said the commission is "committed to protecting consumers from harassing, intrusive, and unwanted robocalls to cell phones, smart phones, and other mobile devices."
Reached by phone Thursday, Dialing Services owner Chris Kolker said he hadn't heard about the fine and needed to consult with his attorney.

Snapchat assured users that private photos sent using its app would automatically delete. Those were false promises.

On Thursday, the app maker settled charges with the Federal Trade Commission that it deceived customers on several levels. The app wasn't totally secure, and the company was secretly spying on its users.

But the Los Angeles-based startup is essentially getting a slap on the wrist. It has to allow independent privacy auditors to inspect the company for the next 20 years, and it was forced to promise it will be more forthright with customers. That's about it.
The heart of the issue is Snapchat's assurance that customers' messages were safe and private. Snapchat's whole business was built on that promise.
For instance, Snapchat photos have a self-destruct timer. But recipients could get around the auto-destruct by saving an image of what was on the screen.

The company also had said it took appropriate security measures to keep the information safe. They were stored, unencrypted, on phones. That meant anyone could just plug a device into a computer and play the files.
Snapchat was also quietly collecting information about its customers. The company promised it wouldn't track users, but it surreptitiously followed an Android phone's every move. It also uploaded entire contact lists from iPhones without letting a customer know.
That blew up in the company's face when hackers stole and posted their usernames and partial phone numbers online.

"If a company markets privacy and security as key selling points in pitching its service to consumers, it is critical that it keep those promises," FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez said in a statement.
On Thursday, Snapchat admitted to making mistakes. The company said it updated its privacy policy, app description and notifications to users.
"While we were focused on building, some things didn't get the attention they could have. One of those was being more precise with how we communicated with the Snapchat community," the company said on its blog.

Apple is in talks to buy Beats Electronics for $3.2 billion, according to several news reports. But if the deal does actually happen, Apple soon may be singing Dr. Dre's "I Need A Doctor."

 

 

  On Thursday last week that Apple was closing in on a purchase of the high-end headphones and streaming music service founded by rapper Dr. Dre and music producer Jimmy Iovine. It would be Apple's largest acquisition ever -- by a long shot. (Apple's biggest purchase to date was Steve Jobs' NeXT, for $400 million)

The question, of course, isn't whether Apple  can afford Beats. Apple has nearly $160 billion in cash. It could buy 50 Beats-sized companies.
On the surface, an Apple deal for Beats makes sense. Apple could use a boost in the music department.

Even though iTunes remains the largest music store in the world, the overall trend of slowing digital music sales is a concern for Apple. The company tried to jump on the streaming music bandwagon with iTunes Radio in June 2013, but customer adoption has been tepid. Only 1% to 2% of iTunes Radio listeners actually end up buying music from the service, according to Billboard.


 


 
Beats claims to be "the first music service that understands you," because it uses an algorithm that plays music to suit your mood. A better playlist could potentially help Apple grow its music sales.
And Beats' headphones are light years ahead of Apple's. Though Beats' heavy bass can be grating to audiophiles, they're far superior to Apple's EarPods, which continue to badly miss the mark, even after a recent redesign. One day soon, Apple could give away low-end Beats headphones for free with its iPhones and iPods.
But there are also reasons to be concerned that Apple is making a mistake.


Beats doesn't release its subscriber numbers, but Cowen & Co estimates there are around 500,000 Beats customers. By contrast, Spotify boasts more than 4 million subscribers. Pandora (P) has more than 250 million active accounts and last month said 76 million people listened to songs on its service. More than 3 million subscribe to Pandora's high-end subscription service.