Instapaper creator Marco Ament is highlighting a change in iOS5 that could be problematic for developers. If storage space on an iOS device is tight, the software will clear out the tmp and Caches directories to create more room.

Ament explained that app developers have used those directories to store certain files – Instapaper, for example, stored downloaded articles in those locations -  since these two directories do not get backed up when a devices is synced with iTunes. It was a way for developers to speed up the backup process by selecting less important files to be stored in those two locations.

According to Ament, “full restores” don’t happen enough to have justified all files to be located in the app folder and the usage of tmp and Caches was a good compromise. Apparently many app developers are using this approach. In fact, Apple is asking app developers to store non-user generated, “re-downloadable” files in the Caches folder for iOS. However, it is this exact folder that gets cleaned out when iOS sees the device running low on space.

For developers, that means that Apple has eliminated a space that can safely store app data that do not need be included in a backup. From Apple’s perspective, that may be not so much a problem as re-downloadable data can be easily deleted and replaced per user demand. However, it could be a problem for a user who may, as Ament calls, it stocks up on pages to read before a flight – perhaps to a different country.

Getting those pages back is possible, as long as there is a wireless connection, but even if that connection is available, you may incur roaming charges to re-download the content.

SOURCE via Macro

An image has appeared online which appears to show Ezio from Assassin’s Creed as a playable character in Soul Calibur V. Could this signal a guest appearance for the assassin?

The image, courtesy of Joystiq, is said to be from a beta version of the game taken at a recent fighting game tournament and shows the character select screen with Ezio Auditore de Firenze highlighted.

There has been no official confirmation of the character, and the legitimacy of the photo is still in question, but if it is true then expects him to either be a pre-order bonus or exclusive to one platform.

Wait no more. Google and Samsung have just made the long-awaited Galaxy Nexus (no longer the Nexus Prime, as we’d once heard) official in Hong Kong, and the specifications are downright drool-worthy. Those with bantam hands need not apply, as this 4.65-inch behemoth is bound to bring back talk of Sidetalkin’.

Naturally, Ice Cream Sandwich is onboard, with Google finally revealing the version number as 4.0. Other specs include an HD Super AMOLED display (1,280 x 720), a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 5 megapixel rear camera (with LED flash), a 1.3 megapixel front-facing cam, 1080p30 video recording and playback, a newfangled panorama mode, a 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth 3.0.

You’ll also find USB 2.0, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, an embedded NFC module, accelerometer, compass, gyro, proximity sensor and even a barometer — yeah, a barometer. Finishing things out, there’s 1GB of RAM, 16 or 32GB of internal storage space and a 1,750mAh battery. As for radios? There’s an HSPA+ model on tap, while an LTE version will “be available depending on region.” There’s nary a mention of carrier in the press release, but based on earlier leaks, a 4G build for Verizon Wireless seems a lock.

Focusing on Ice Cream Sandwich for a tick, Android 4.0 will bring “an entirely new look and feel to Android,” boasting a redesigned user interface, bolstered multitasking / notifications, full-on NFC support and a new People app, which enables users to browse friends, family and coworkers’ photos whilst peeking their status updates from Google+. ICS also introduces Face Unlock, which taps into facial recognition protocols in order to unlock your handset. And then there’s Android Beam, an NFC-based technology that allows you to “quickly share webpages, apps and YouTube videos by simply tapping two phones together.”

According to Google, the “lock screen, home screen, phone app and everything in between has been rethought and redesigned,” and this is quite the beastly phone to launch with.

You’re probably laughing to yourself right now saying, “300GB? That’s not big storage.” But, hear us out. The oh-so memorably titled MK01GRRB and MK01GRRR are not your standard hard drives — these are enterprise-grade disks that spin at 15k RPM and fit in a 2.5-inch bay. Toshiba claims they’re the highest capacity 2.5-inch, 15k drives on the market, and we couldn’t dig up any evidence to the contrary. The 6Gb/s SAS connection makes sure businesses get the most they can out of those platters spinning at break neck speeds and the GRRR models include a self-encrypting feature. The two drives will start shipping in both 147 and 300GB sizes in Q1 of 2012, but pricing has yet to be announced.

Sony has locked the PSN and SOE accounts of 93,000 users following a hacking attempt that saw hackers try to test a ‘massive set of log-in IDs and passwords.’ The company revealed the attempted breach in a blog post published last night. Philip Reitinger, SVP & Chief Information Security Officer at Sony Group, said that the data likely came from another source, and not from Sony’s own networks.

“These attempts appear to include a large amount of data obtained from one or more compromised lists from other companies, sites or other sources,” he said. “In this case, given that the data tested against our network consisted of sign-in ID-password pairs, and that the overwhelming majority of the pairs resulted in failed matching attempts, it is likely the data came from another source and not from our Networks. We have taken steps to mitigate the activity.”

However, the hackers weren’t totally unsuccessful. Reitinger said that there were roughly 93,000 accounts (60K on PSN/SEN and 33K on SOE) where the attackers succeeded in verifying valid sign-in IDs and passwords. Sony has locked those accounts and is reviewing them for unauthorized access. The company assured affected users that credit card numbers associated with their accounts are not at risk. He also explained that users will need to change their passwords.

“As a preventative measure, we are requiring secure password resets for those PSN/SEN accounts that had both a sign-in ID and password match through this attempt,” Retinger said. “If you are in the small group of PSN/SEN users who may have been affected, you will receive an email from us at the address associated with your account that will prompt you to reset your password.”

Affected SOE account holders will receive an email advising them on steps to take that will validate their account and switch it back on.

Read the full post from Sony here.

Qualcomm has released first details about its next-generation mobile processors, which are expected to compete with Nvidia’s Kal-El processor.

The Snapdragon S4 processor will arrive as a 28 nm chip that will integrate two Krait CPUs in its first version (MSM8960). Krait will leverage the ARMv7 instruction set, will be compatible with ARM’s Cortex-A9 chip, but deliver more performance per CPU cycle, Qualcomm said. Thanks to a new pipeline architecture, Krait will exceed Scorpion’s performance by more than 60 percent, the manufacturer promises. An interesting note is that Qualcomm expects the S4 series to “hold peak performance” longer than other processors under a constant workload due to the “efficient use of power” and less power lost to leakage.

Additionally, Qualcomm claims that the S4 series will reduce its power consumption 25 to 40 percent as a result of an asynchronous multi-processor system that can run the two cores at two different voltages. In standby, one core can be entirely “collapsed” and causing that unit to consume zero power.

S4 will also include an upgraded Adreno graphics unit, which has its origins in AMD’s Imageon series of graphics processors. The new 225 GPU promises 50 percent more graphics performance when compared to the current 200 – and twice the memory bandwidth of its predecessor. Adreno 225 will support OpenGL ES 1.1, ES 2.0 and DX9.3.

SOURCE via Qualcomm (pdf)

According to AVG, the most common malware threat on the web is currently Rogue AV Scanner, which made up almost 28 percent of malware detected by AVG. Exploit toolkits represent more than 30 percent of threat activity on websites; more than 35 percent of spam still originates from the U.S. and bit.ly remains the most abused URL shortener for spam purposes.

However, there is also a fairly comprehensive report on Android malware vulnerability, which states that Android’s popularity makes it an increasingly attractive target for attackers. Angry Birds Rio Unlocker is the most widely distributed malware application that is luring Android users. According to AVG, tricking Android users into downloading an application from both Android market as well as lesser know third party app stores. “We have noticed a marked increase during 2011,” AVG said. “Malicious applications are often masked as useful applications, games or adult content. Two examples of fake applications were fake versions of HandcentSMS and AngryBirds.”

AVG included a detailed description of the features of one particular Android malware and the reasons why such programs can work so effectively: because they work via services in the background and escape the eyes of the average user.

AVG also added details about newly evolving threats on social networks such as Facebook, which include digital currency threats as well as Facebook clickjacking and Blackhole attacks. Supported by vehicles such as Facebook, clickjacking has apparently evolved into a huge source of income for attackers. AVG believes that 600,000 clickjack attacks occur every day. The company estimate that this base could deliver about $20 million of revenue for attackers every day.