OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5 update more than doubles 802.11ac file transfer speeds

Apple has just rolled out the latest update to Mountain Lion with fixes to a number of issues users have been experiencing lately. If you haven't already noticed the prompt, you'll find OS X version 10.8.5 is now available in your Software Update queue or directly from here.

The latest update is said to improve upon and fix a number of issues including file transfer performance over 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Some reports claim the 802.11ac file transfer speeds are more than doubled compared to in 10.8.4. Additionally, the update tackles recent problems with displaying messages in Mail and resolves an issue that was preventing screen savers from starting automatically on some machines.

Other updates with 10.8.5 include improved Xsan reliability, more stability with large file transfers over Ethernet, improved Open Directory server authentication, fixes with smart card integration in System Preferences and some of the additions that came along with the MacBook Air (Mid 2013) Software Update 1.0.

While today's offering brings some needed updates, most have their eye on OS X 10.9 Mavericks which Apple is widely expected to release as early as the end of next month.

Nvidia embraces Miracast Wi-Fi display technology with Tegra 3

Nvidia has announced its backing of the Wi-Fi Alliance's new wireless display technology. Unveiled in May, Miracast is a new certification that will offer Wi-Fi devices a standard by which to stream content to compatible screens over a wireless network connection -- not unlike existing proprietary solutions such as Apple's AirPlay or Intel's WiDi.

Although open standards like DLNA are available, Nvidia says they're plagued with interoperability issues that have limited their adoption. For that reason, the company says it's not just supporting Miracast, but it's embracing the standard with its latest Tegra SoC, which is optimized to use the spec. As explained in a whitepaper released yesterday:

"The Tegra optimized Miracast solution is comprised of two major components -- the multimedia (video/audio) processing block and the industry compliant wireless display networking stack. The multimedia processing block takes advantage of Tegra’s multi-core graphics engine and dedicated hardware video/audio codecs to accelerate the decoding of video content, render graphics surfaces and perform the final compositing operations before encoding into a H.264 bit stream to be wirelessly transmitted."

Additionally, the chip's multimedia architecture can decide how to best allocate system resources based on the type of content being transmitted. For instance, if it detects an HD video or 3D game, it'll make tweaks to reduce latency. Nvidia doesn't mention precisely how much latency is involved, but there's relatively little information available about Miracast in general and that will likely remain true until it launches in August.

The latency seems fine in that video and the company didn't hesitate to tout Miracast's potential for gaming, noting that Tegra's snappy CPU and GPU can be used with the wireless technology to play mobile games on a big screen. "We're not just talking about flinging Angry Birds," Nvidia wrote, "but racing a super-charged jet ski in the game Riptide THD and playing heart-pounding first-person shooter games like Shadowgun THD."

The company said it's working with OEM partners (no names were mentioned) and Miracast receiver vendors to bring the technology to market and promised more details once the spec is ratified by the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Anyfi Networks makes home Wi-Fi network available anywhere

A Swedish company called Anyfi Networks has released a Wi-Fi solution for Internet service providers to make your home wireless connection available from any access point. Company CTO Johan Almbladhdescribes the service as having your Wi-Fi network follow you around wherever you go.

Anyfi.net Simple, according to executives, is aptly named as the solution works seamlessly on the user’s end. If you have ever connected your device to Wi-Fi at home, it will connect automatically to any participating network. There is no software to install and no manual network registration or login to fool with – it works because the device finds exactly the network it is looking for.

The primary function of an access point is of course to provide access to the Local Area Network (LAN). Our software comes into play when the user is not authorized for such access. Instead of just refusing service our patent pending software dynamically allocates a virtual access point and connects it to a remote end-point through a Wi-Fi over IP tunnel. The result is simple and secure Internet access on any Wi-Fi device anywhere.

GigaOm points out that consumers might not like the thought of “sharing” their home Wi-Fi network with strangers, but Anyfi co-founder and CEO Björn Smedman says that never happens. The technology uses the physical radio inside the residential gateway but foreign devices aren’t actually accessing the gateway’s home network. Anyfi sends Wi-Fi authentication protocols to the device owner’s home gateway instead. This tricks the device into believing it is still on its home network. And from the viewpoint of the access point, it’s essentially running two separate networks.

Anyfi has reportedly been testing the software with some Internet providers for over a year but now they are ready to go mainstream. They are currently testing with an unnamed service provider in Europe and North America although it’s unclear when we could see the service offered publically nationwide.

Nokia says Nexus 7 tablet infringes on their patents

Google announced the long-rumored Nexus 7 tablet during their I/O Conference last week. The device won’t be available until mid-July but that isn’t stopping Nokia from claiming the slate infringes on some of their patents with regards to Wi-Fi technology.

The Inquirer believes that the patents in question have to do with the IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard. In a message to the publication, a Nokia spokesperson said they have more than 40 licensees under their standards essential patent portfolio which includes most mobile phone device makers. The problem is that neither Google nor Asus are licensed under this patent portfolio. The spokesperson said that companies who have not licensed up should simply approach them and sign up for licensing rights.

Google’s $199 tablet features a 7-inch backlit IPS display operating at 1,280 x 800 and is powered by a quad-core Tegra 3 processor with 12 GPU cores. 1GB of RAM comes standard while users can choose between 8GB or 16GB of onboard storage. The device will ship with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the latest Google OS revision highlighted by Project Butter. This initiative is said to improve overall system performance and reduce lag at virtually every avenue.

It is believed that Nokia will simply seek to have either Google or Asus sign up for licensing rather than try to impose legal injunctions against the tablet. For their part, Asus has refused to comment on the matter for now. No word yet on Google’s response.

Nokia says Nexus 7 tablet infringes on their patents

Google announced the long-rumored Nexus 7 tablet during their I/O Conference last week. The device won’t be available until mid-July but that isn’t stopping Nokia from claiming the slate infringes on some of their patents with regards to Wi-Fi technology.

The Inquirer believes that the patents in question have to do with the IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard. In a message to the publication, a Nokia spokesperson said they have more than 40 licensees under their standards essential patent portfolio which includes most mobile phone device makers. The problem is that neither Google nor Asus are licensed under this patent portfolio. The spokesperson said that companies who have not licensed up should simply approach them and sign up for licensing rights.

Google’s $199 tablet features a 7-inch backlit IPS display operating at 1,280 x 800 and is powered by a quad-core Tegra 3 processor with 12 GPU cores. 1GB of RAM comes standard while users can choose between 8GB or 16GB of onboard storage. The device will ship with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the latest Google OS revision highlighted by Project Butter. This initiative is said to improve overall system performance and reduce lag at virtually every avenue.

It is believed that Nokia will simply seek to have either Google or Asus sign up for licensing rather than try to impose legal injunctions against the tablet. For their part, Asus has refused to comment on the matter for now. No word yet on Google’s response.

Western Digital intros four wireless routers, one with 2TB of storage

Western Digital, a company who is better known for its enduring legacy in storage solutions, announced that it will be dipping its toes into the consumer wireless network market. The companyunveiled four new home router products that will cover most bases for consumers, starting with the no-frills N600 and finishing with the N900 Central -- a router that is effectively a NAS with up to 2TB of included storage.

Probably emboldened by its past dabbling with TV boxes, MyBook Liveand its own line of powerline AV products, wireless routers seem to be a logical step for WD. However, it is safe to say WD's entry into the consumer networking space marks an uphill battle for the company. There are already a number of well-established players out there like Netgear, Linksys (i.e. Cisco), D-link and others.

In order to set itself apart from existing offerings, Western Digital calls its new products "My Net Entertainment Accelerators". Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, does it? Truthfully though, this gimmicky marketing phrase is WD's way of advertising its "advanced" QoS (quality of service) and FasTrack features, selling points which the company is trying to play up as major benefits.

WD's take on QoS automatically detects and prioritizes certain types of traffic, like streaming video from Hulu. Theoretically, this should help provide an interruption-free Netflix experience, for example, while that Windows 8 Release Preview ISO continues to download or while your laptop is performing a Wi-Fi backup to your NAS.

FasTrack offers users 21 available slots for QoS customization while FasTrack Plus offers an unlimited number and real-time traffic analysis. FasTrack Plus is only offered on the N900.

Here's what WD's wireless router line up looks like:

N600: 802.11n @ 2 x 300Mbps channels, 4 x 100Mbps network ports, 1 x USB 2.0 and FasTrack streaming ($79.00)

N750: 802.11n @ 1 x 300Mbps and 1 x 450Mbps channel, 4 x 1Gbps network ports, 2 x USB 2.0 and FasTrack streaming ($119)

N900: 802.11n @ 2 x 450Mbps channels, 7 x 1Gbps network ports, 2 x USB 2.0, FasTrack Plus video streaming ($179)

N900 Central: 802.11n @ 2 x 450Mbps channels, automated network backup, 4 x 1Gbps network ports, 1 x USB 2.0 and FasTrack Plus streaming (1TB model: $299; 2TB model: $349)

Belkin unveils 802.11ac router lineup, $139 and $159

A 56-page PowerPoint file supposedly containing plans for Microsoft’s next generation gaming console was posted on Scribd last weekend. The file has since found a home on multiple hosting services and websites but that run could be short-lived as Microsoft’s legal team has reportedly been sending takedown noticesto sites hosting the writings.

The original file has been removed from Scribd at the request of Covington & Burling LLP, a group that represents Microsoft according to their client list.Furthermore, a technology site based in the Czech Republic called Ihned.cz received a letter from Alan Radford, an Internet investigator working on behalf of Microsoft.

The letter notes that a domain under the site owner’s control is offering unlicensed copies of, or is engaging in other unauthorized activities with relation to copyrighted material owned by Microsoft. The document is referred to as the IEB Roadmap in the letter. The author asks that the content be removed or have access to it disabled.

If Microsoft is indeed asking websites to stop hosting the file, one would have to think that the leaked document is indeed genuine. Of course, a two-year-old PowerPoint file is likely outdated at this point but there’s little doubt that a majority of the material found within will be coming down the pipeline at some point.

The document was allegedly written in 2010 and chronicles multiple events that have come to fruition since its inception but as CNET points out, the interesting bits include mention of a $299 Xbox 720 bundled with a Kinect 2 camera accessory. The bundle is expected to launch in time for the 2013 holiday buying season with plans for a 10-year lifecycle and a goal to sell 100 million units.

Wi-Fi Protected Setup design flaw leaves routers open to attack

Design flaws in the Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) standard used by most modern routers could make it easier to retrieve a wireless network's password through brute force and leave it open to attack. The issue was first brought to light by security researcher Stefan Viehböck and has since prompted a vulnerability notice from the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT).

The WPS standard was created in 2007 by the Wi-Fi Alliance in order to provide non-technical users with simpler methods of setting up secure wireless networks. One of these methods uses a predefined eight-digit PIN number printed on a sticker by the router manufacturer. The problem, according to Viehböck, is that entering the wrong PIN returns information that could be useful to a hacker.

Ideally an eight-digit PIN code would produce 100,000,000 possible combinations, enough to keep an attacker busy for a few years if attempting a brute force break-in. But the protocol used by Wi-Fi Protected Setup responds to failed authentication attempts by indicating if the first or second halves of the PIN number are correct, significantly reducing the possible combinations. Plus, the last digit is actually the checksum of the other seven. That means an attacker only has to try 11,000 different combinations to find the right PIN.

In his tests, Viehböck found that an authentication attempt takes between 0.5 and 3 seconds and the majority of routers don't implement lock-down periods after several consecutive failed WPS authentication attempts. Only one router from Netgear slowed its responses to failed authentication attempts in order to mitigate against the attack, but that only extended the attack time to a day or so -- otherwise it can take 2-4 hours.

Devices from Buffalo, D-Link, Linksys, Netgear and others are affected. Presummably, the flaw can be addressed with a simple software fix, but until then the US-Cert is recommending users switch off WPS.