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iPhone Spam Strikes Facebook and Ping

(Image courtesy of 9to5Mac)

They may not be bosom buddies at the moment, but Facebook and Ping are together in feeling the pain of spam — in this case, the kind that touts supposedly “free” iPhones, as if there could ever be such a thing.

9to5Mac is reporting on the spamming attack that struck Facebook last weekend and is currently hitting Apple’s new Ping service, launched on Wednesday. Both services appear to be lucrative targets for spammers to rein in new victims, in this case by offering a “free” iPhone for those foolish enough to get trapped. (Spoiler: There is no such thing as a “free” iPhone.)

“For a few hours on Sunday, there was a spamming incident on Facebook,” reads the message posted for affected users by the site’s security team. “During this time, photos (mostly of supposedly “free” iPhones) were posted to some people’s Walls, including yours. We’ve removed the photo from your Wall and fixed the issue that allowed spammers to do this. We’re sorry about the photo, but can assure you that did this did not affect the security of your account in any way.”

Be that as it may, it doesn’t resolve the question of how the spam wound up there to begin with, according to Internet security firm Sophos. Apparently “thousands of users” had their Facebook Walls affected by the iPhone spam, and now Apple’s Ping appears to be the next target in their sights.

Sadly, for now it appears that Ping users will have to grin and bear it. “Ping implements no spam or URL filtering,” explains Sophos, who claims that the service — less than 48 hours old — is “drowning in scams and spams.”

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

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Apple Touts iOS 4.2 Update Coming Soon to iPad

We haven’t even gotten our hands on iOS 4.1 for the iPhone and iPod touch yet (that’s coming next week, supposedly September and already Apple has posted a page trumpeting the iOS 4.2 update for the iPad due in November.

As announced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs at Wednesday’s media event, iOS 4.2 will be released in November and is mostly cause for celebration for iPad users, since it will finally bring feature parity to that device as well as the iPhone and iPod touch. To keep users’ interest over the next 60 to 90 days, Apple has posted a “Coming Soon” page chatting up the “new features and innovations” that patient iPad owners will get when the calendar turns to November.

At the top of the list is multitasking, much the same as what iPhone and iPod touch users received with iOS 4 in June. “Run all your favorites apps — and switch between them instantly — without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily,” the coming soon page boasts. Another iOS 4 tent pole feature, Folders, will also come to the iPad with iOS 4.2.

New to iOS 4.2 and presumably also for the iPhone and iPod touch as well as the iPad is printing. “Print mail, photos, web pages and more directly to a printer on a wireless network,” Apple explains. There are already a long list of printer apps for iOS, but most of them require a computer to use, so it will be interesting to see exactly how Apple implements this system-wide.

As shown during the demo for the new Apple TV, AirPlay is another new feature for iOS 4.2 which will allow you to wirelessly stream videos, music and photos from your device to the diminutive black box, as well as streaming music to speakers or receivers, including the AirPort Express.

Rounding out the feature list is Game Center, a unified inbox and threaded e-mail for the Mail app, enhanced enterprise support, text search on Safari web pages, accessibility, keyboard and dictionary enhancements and you can bet, plenty of those awesome bug fixes.

Now we just have to wait until November…

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

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First Look At Concept Art For Tron Experience At Disneyland

(Image courtesy of slashfilm.com)

You knew it was only a matter of time.  It was three years ago that the first test footage of Tron: Legacy premiered at Comic-Con.  Wouldn’t it be something to be able to experience something of that caliber first hand?  If all goes well for the merry band of Disney Imagineers, the Tron: Legacy experience could soon be coming to Disneyland, according to Slash Film.

Disney has already changed up the monorails in Orlando to become light bikes, to help promote the upcoming release.  Other rumors on the docket are that Flynn’s Arcade will become a part of Tomorrowland, there’ll be a refresh of the People Movers and perhaps even a new Tron: Legacy ride.

Below are some images courtesy of Slash Film that give a glimpse into some of the concept art for ElecTRONica:

 

ElecTRONica is going to be a nighttime dance party/experience that’ll happen every Friday, Saturday and Sunday coming this fall at Hollywood Pictures Backlot in Disney California Adventure park starting October 8th, 2010.  Here’s a further breakdown on the experience according to the DisneyParks Blog:

It’s an “electrifying” experience for the entire family, filled with music, lights and some of your favorite food and beverage, all set amidst the captivating world of “TRON: Legacy!”  From a dazzling dance club under the stars to an authentic recreation of Flynn’s Arcade to some radical gaming, it’s like nowhere else on the grid!  Each night, we’ll feature live entertainers, complete with lasers, glow accessories and the hottest music ever to rock the grid.  ElecTRONica is “the” place to dance the night away in a fantastic world that only Disney can create. Highlights for the entire family will definitely be Flynn’s Video Arcade, face painting and the TRON: Evolution video game area.  TRON fans and families can also enjoy the party seven days a week during Thanksgiving week and Christmas week.

As far as an actual ride, Disney’s President of Production/Tron Legacy producer Sean Bailey had this to say at Comic-Con:

“We don’t know yet. Look, as a kid, I went to the park like you. Certainly, the idea that something you worked on is ultimately one day at the park, what a thrilling possibility. These rides take a lot of time, a lot of energy, and a lot of thinking to do them at the level our Imagineers so brilliantly do. So I think it’s kind of in the thinking about stage, but man, I would love it if it became a reality one day.”

As would we Sean, as would we!

Follow this article’s author, Matthew Tilmann on Twitter

 

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