Google planning to kill passwords

Web giant Google is researching to build a more secure hardware device which in future can be used to login to a computer or an online account, thus eliminating the need for a password.

Designed in the shape of rings which can be worn on fingers, these hardware devices will aid in logging in to a computer or online account.

The search engine first revealed its plans to put an end to passwords in an academic paper published online in January.

The effort focused on having people plug a small USB key that provides their credentials into a computer.

The possibility of using special jewelry in a similar manner was mentioned in that paper.

According to Google's principal engineer, who specializes in security, Mayank Upadhyay at the RSA security conference in San Francisco last week, "Using personal hardware to log in would remove the dangers of people reusing passwords or writing them down."

"Everyone is familiar with an ATM. What if you could use the same experience with a computer?" Upadhyay said, adding that Google's trial was focused on a slim USB key that performs a cryptographic transaction with an online service to prove the key's validity when it's plugged into a computer.

The key also has a contactless chip inside so that it can be used to log in via mobile devices. Tokens like the ones Google is testing do not contain a static password that could be copied.

The cryptographic key unique to the device is stored inside and is never transmitted.

When the key is plugged in, it proves its validity by correctly responding to a mathematical challenge posed by the online service it is being used to log into, in a way that doesn't produce any information that could be used to log in again.

Google is already talking with other companies to lay the groundwork for using the technology to access different services and websites.

"It's extremely early stages, and we're trying to get more partners," said Upadhyay.

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Instagram boasts 90 million monthly active users, 40 million photos per day

Instagram might have gotten some crazy backlash from its policy changes back in December, for which they pulled an about face and returned it back to normal. However, a lot users were done with the service at that point, and vowed to switch to an alternative. Then again, that doesn’t seem to be scaring Instagram too much, as the company has reported 90 million monthly active users, as well as 40 million photos being posted per day.

AllThingsD notes that the service’s monthly active user base is actually up 10% from last month, so it seems that the privacy policy debacle wasn’t a huge deal for its users after all. Instagram’s Kevin System says that the company “continues to see very strong growth around the world.”

Along with those 40 million photos being posted every day, Instagram says that its users are liking photos at a rate of 8,500 per second and are posting 1,000 comments per second as well. This actually marks the first time that Instagram has posted statistics on its user base, but detailed numbers are still scarce.

According to AppData, Instagram use on iOS and Android actually rose quite a bit late last month, but with use on Facebook falling by 25%. Furthermore, according to AppStats, Instagram apparently saw their active user numbers cut in half to 40 million, but according to Instagram’s own numbers, that’s clearly not true.

Story Timeline

• SlashGear 101: Does Instagram own my photos?
• How to Ditch Instagram
• Five Instagram Alternatives you're going to love
• Instagram co-founder responds to user outrage
• Amid Instagram Madness, What Terms of Use Should Take for Granted
• Instagram updates its terms of service after massive backlash
• Instagram took the lazy, sneaky way out
• Instagram iOS and Android update adds new filter, support for 25 languages
• Instagram Privacy Policy prodded with Class-Action lawsuit
• Foursquare makes Privacy tweaks, wary of Instagram-style backlash

Instagram boasts 90 million monthly active users, 40 million photos per day is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 - 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

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Get Windows 8 like start screen on Windows 7/XP

If you are amused by the all new start screen concept of Windows 8 but haven’t got a chance to give it a try then here we have something for you. The most discussed feature of this new OS is it’s all new start screen which is made up of multiple tiles. WinMetro is a free application which will allow you to have a look and feel of a  Windows 8 start screen on your current Windows OS.

WinMetro is a free software developed by IObit using which you can replace your current start button with the new Windows 8 kind of start screen. All you have to do is download and install the software from the link given at the end of this article. After installing the app it will automatically show your most used softwares along with some built in app tiles.

Some default apps included with this are calendar, weather, photos, news and some more tiles which are simply loading the webpages inside it. Once you define your default picture directory with the “Photos” app it will allow you to view all your pics on the click of a tile. The weather app uses your ISPs location and shows the weather info about that location which was not accurate in my case. You can use the horizontal scroll bar at the bottom to scroll inside the screen.

After starting your PC and logging into your account it will take you to the start screen first. To go to your desktop you can press Win + X or click on the desktop tile and to again bring up the screen press the same keys or simply move your mouse cursor to bottom left corner of your screen and click on the start screen.

This software will work on Windows operating systems only. It uses around 40-50 MB of RAM continuously. So if you are already running low on resources then you might not want to use this. You can use the link below to download this software.

Download WinMetro for Windows (5.95 MB)

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Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning News

• PTS Phase 2 is Underway - The second phase of testing for game update 1.3 started on Thursday. During this phase of testing more combat and career changes and adjustments will be implemented in response to player feedback from the first round of testing. Also in this phase the Realm Resource Quest will be introduced, this is the quest which will be use to control who has access to the new Land of the Dead. All in all it sounds like it will be a lot of fun so make sure you get over there and check it out and don't forget to leave feedback!

 

• PTS Testing Event - Tonight the devs will be hosting another Public testing event for game update 1.3. The main focus will be to test out the Realm Resource Quest and to gather player feedback on the new addition. The event will begin at 8:30 pm EDT and will continue on through the evening. So, be sure to copy over your characters by visiting the Mythic Account Center. Anyone who participates and leaves feedback will automatically be entered to win an Imperial Gryphon Mount (Order) or an Enslaved Manticore Mount (Destruction).

Online  Game Video Coming Soon

• Land of the Dead Grab Bag - Everyone is anticipating the release of the new Land of the Dead Zone. I read a very interesting Q&A on the WAR site about the new content and I have to say I learned a few things I did not know before! It contains answers to questions pertaining to everything from instance mechanics to loot. It is a definite must read for every WAR fan!

 

• Product Spotlight - Everyone knows that FTW MMO strategy guides has one of the best, most comprehensive WAR Leveling and Strategy Guides available on the market today! This guide has just received some major updates to keep it in line with the changes to the game. The guides now include all new quests, new flight paths, detailed numbered maps, RvR quests and detailed public Quest information! The WAR Combo Pack from FTW is a definite must have for every Warhammer fan! Get your copy today for just $44.99, or buy one side for just $29.99.

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Starcraft II News

 

• Starcraft Comic Series - The new StarCraft comic series by Simon Furman and Federico Dallocchio hit shelves on May 27th. To celebrate this epic release DC StarCraft has launched offering a 12 issue subscription for nearly $11 off the cover price! Head on over and check it out!

 

• Starcraft II Q&A - There have been several postings of Q&A while Starcraft has been in development where the devs answer player questions about various aspects of the game. The most recent installment talks about terrain features, UI features and video replay options. You can also thumb through the archives for a ton more cool information!

 

• Starcraft Comic Contest - Blizzard is running another Starcraft comic contest for the month of June. To enter the contest all you have to do is create your own original comic based on the Starcraft Universe and submit it by June 15th. The funniest and most creative will then win some cool prizes. If you need more information you can check out the official rules. To see past winners, click here.

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Wrath of the Lich King News

 

• Tuesday Maintenance - Most realms are under the usual maintenance timer today but some realms will see 12 hours of downtime which began at 12:01 am PDT and will go to 12:01 pm PDT. We are thinking they will be applying patch 3.1.3 today during this maintenance. For a list of realms under extended downtime and the full patch notes visit the Spugnort blog.

• New Druid Bear Form for Patch 3.2 - That's right! Druids everywhere are rejoicing as it seems their cries have been heard. Blizzard will be implementing a new look for the Druid Bear Form with the release of patch 3.2. Not only will the Druids be getting a new look, but for the first time ever they will be able to customize that look! For all the info and some way cool pics, visit our blog.

• BlizzCon '09 is Sold Out! - Well, much to the disappointment of many fans (including me) BlizzCon '09 tickets are now officially sold out. The last batch of tickets became available on Saturday morning at 10 am PST and were gone in about 10 minutes. Even if you were not able to get your hands on the coveted tickets, we all have to admit that things went along MUCH better this year, and hey there's always Direct TV, right?!?

• Hunters and Warlocks Can Rejoice! - Blizzard has recognized that the mechanics behind the pet salability are a bit out of sync with the current game mechanics. I mean, you all remember BC when pets were hard to kill...well not anymore! As a BM hunter that has to be one of my biggest complaints...my pet dies WAY too easy. Blizzard poster Ghostcrawler has said that the dev team recognizes this issue and realizes that the recent pet health buffs are not quite doing the job, so it seems Blizz has come up with a new way for pets to scale based partially on their master's stats. It will be a while before this goes live, but simply hearing it's in the works makes me very happy!

• Warcraft Game Fuel Site in Full Swing - We told you about the WoW-themed Mountain Dew a while ago. Well, now the official site is up and running and giving away TONS of prizes now through August 20th! The drinks should arrive in your favorite stores this week, but until then check out our blog for all the contest rules, information and links and good luck to you!

• Blizzard Wants Your Class Questions - Blizzard poster, Nethaera has opened a door to the Warcraft gaming community she may wish she'd left closed. She has opened up the class forums to questions, suggestions and issues from players which Blizzard will address in the form of responses and possibly some changes. She does warn that responses will likely not begin to roll in for weeks as they want to give players around the world time to get their questions in. When answers start to come they will be addressing the most prominent issues first. But, basically this is your chance to go over to your class forum and let them know what you think...good bad or ugly. My first issue will be the "pet chase" bug, anyone who has ever played a Hunter knows exactly what I am talking about!

• Ulduar Proto-Drakes Will Disappear in 3.2 - As with the reward of the Plagued and Black Proto-Drakes pre 3.1, the Rusted and Ironbound Drakes will be gone when 3.2 is released to live servers. Blizzard does this to keep the reward for the achievements associated with these rewards meaningful and reserve them only for the elite players. Once geared for higher level instances it would be much easier for players to come back to lower level ones and complete these achievements, so Blizz removes them to make the achievements stand out. Don't worry, though there is still time to nab your Ulduar Drakes as we don't expect 3.2 to be out any time soon.

• Cross-Language Battlegroups - This is something Blizzard has been working on for a while and after successful tests on the PTR it has been implemented on live EU servers. This feature will combine Battlegroups from different languages into one which will in turn expand the pool of players wanting to participate in PvP for both Arenas and Battlegrounds. One important thing Blizzard thought was necessary to point out is that you will not be teamed with players speaking different languages, but you will play against them. This is a cool concept and will make for even more epic PvP battles. To get all the information, you can click here to read the FAQ.

• Comic Corner - This week I found a few comics that gave my some pretty good laughs! The first is from Experience Points and it relays their perception of Ulduar Trash. The next one I found come to us from NPC and I found this one to be quite funny! I I love these kitties even if they are suckers for a little Critter Tease! And last but not least there is a good one from The Adventures of Disgraph T. Dwarf that relays the authors somewhat mixed feelings about the new Druid forms and what he sees for the future. It's called Form of...A Druid!...enjoy!

• Product Spotlight - The Ultimate Warcraft Powerleveling Guide Pack is a must have for any gamer's library. This amazing guide package includes optimized leveling paths for both Horde and Alliance and an in-game mod that works for both, too! The leveling paths detailed in these guides are the ones we personally use to level our own characters and are comprised of 100% questing...that's right NO grinding ever! So, if you're just getting started, running up an alt, or just want to power to 80 as quickly as possible this is EXACTLY what you need. Get your copy today for the low price of only $69.95! That's right, Horde AND Alliance printable pdf's and in-game leveling guides for one low price.

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