socket

Senator wants more secure Web sites for Wi-Fi use

Sen. Charles Schumer wants online companies to switch to a more secure protocol to better protect consumers who access Web sites via public Wi-Fi hot spots.

The New York Democrat yesterday issued a call to such companies as Amazon and Twitter to switch their default pages to HTTPS from HTTP to help prevent cybercriminals from stealing online passwords and credit card numbers over public Wi-Fi networks. In his request, Schumer said that programs such as Firesheep allow even hackers with no programming skills to easily capture usernames, passwords, browsing history, and other private information from unsuspecting users in spots with … Read more

Web Sockets and the risks of unfinished standards

Enthusiasm for a promising new standard called Web Sockets has quickly cooled in some quarters as a potential security problem led some browser makers to hastily postpone support.

The Web Sockets technology, which opens up a live communication link between a browser and a server, remains an important part of plans to make the Web a home for more dynamic, interactive sites. It could, for example, speed up Google Instant searching and multiplayer games. But Mozilla and Opera put their Web Socket plans on hold this week until the wrinkles are ironed out.

The reversal is only the latest difficulty, … Read more

Eye-socket camera films from inside the head

There's a blurred line between challenge and opportunity.

Having lost his eye in a childhood accident and suffered a lot of pain, Rob Spense, a 36-year-old filmmaker, has decided to do something that'll put filming and seeing into just one eye, quite literally.

His work is called the Eyeborg project, and involves his friend Kosta Grammatis, a photographer/engineer, and a team of ocularists, inventors, and engineering specialists. The team is building a prosthetic eye that can capture and transmit video.

While the idea is simple, it's a great engineering challenge. For the project to be successful, … Read more

Certification credited with boosting online confidence

Extended certificate validation for Web sites has boosted online confidence in 2008, according to a statement released Thursday by the Authentication and Online Trust Alliance (AOTA).

This could help online consumers looking for sites to trust on Cyber Monday, the first shopping Monday after Thanksgiving when online purchases are at their peak.

Sites with Extended Validation Certificates (EV) added to Secure Socket Layers (SSL) encryption display their URLs in a green bar in the address field of compatible browsers. This signals to the user that there is increased scrutiny of the Web site. In Firefox 3, a user clicks the … Read more

Socket SoMo 650-M: PDAs aren't dead

No, you haven't travelled back in time: this is a PDA. It might not do futuristic things like make phone calls, send text messages or take pictures, but if you're not bothered by those fancy features then this might be right up your street. It's called the Socket SoMo 650-M and costs around $670--which we think is ridiculous.

Aimed at the service industry, this rugged Windows Mobile 5 PDA looks retro, but it's extremely sturdy and boasts a large touch screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, an Intel processor running at 624MHz, and an SD and CF slot with … Read more

USB wall charger skips the middleman

As we've noted more times than we care to remember, there are a countless number of useless gadgets that seem to exist only because they use a computer's USB port for a power source. Maybe that's one of the reasons behind Green-House's development of the "Eneplug."

This little device, which Technabob accurately describes as resembling "the decapitated end of a standard 110v AC plug," is a USB charger that skips the middleman and plugs directly into a wall outlet. It's available only in Japan at present, perhaps because that's where … Read more

Power strip may keep fire marshal away

OK, so a power strip might not seem very crushworthy, but how many of us have cursed conventional versions over not providing adequate space for a multitude of bricks? In fact, some of us at Crave are on the fire marshal's watchlist for maintaining masses of under-desk cords, adapters, and extensions.

Enter the "Socket Sense Surge Strip," which claims to be "the first and only surge strip with six fully adjustable sockets that expand and contract to fit any power adapter." It's not cheap--the strip retails for $40, according to Popgadget--but the manufacturer says … Read more

When you refuse to get 'The Clapper'

Here at Crave, we're unfailingly dedicated to conserving energy--especially our own. So to do our part in the fight against NBM (Needless Bodily Movement), we're always on the lookout for gadgets like the "Remote-Controlled Switch Socket."

This handy little thing facilitates our slothful ways with a remote that acts as a wireless toggle switch for whatever is plugged into its special socket on the wall within 100 feet, according to Uber-Review. Yes, "The Clapper" will do the same thing, but please--allow us some shred of what little dignity we have left.

Our only concern … Read more