LinkedIn works with FBI on password theft

(Reuters) - LinkedIn Corp is working with the FBI as the social network for job seekers and professionals investigates the theft of 6.4 million member passwords, the company said on Thursday.
The company does not know of any accounts that were taken over as a result of the security violations, according to LinkedIn spokesman Hani Durzy.
A spokeswoman with the FBI declined to comment.
LinkedIn is still in the early stages of the investigation. Durzy said it was not yet determined whether the email addresses that corresponded to the hacked passwords were also stolen.
On Wednesday, LinkedIn confirmed that millions of passwords were stolen.
The company said on Thursday it would disable passwords that had been compromised and force customers to reset them. The company sent affected members emails explaining how to change their passwords.
Several security experts said that LinkedIn's stolen passwords had not been adequately secured and that the company did not employ best practices utilized by the world's largest websites.
When asked to comment on that criticism, Durzy said that LinkedIn had already boosted the security of its database. "We place the highest value on the security of our members' data," he said.
Online dating service eHarmony warned on Wednesday that some of its user passwords had been breached after security experts discovered scrambled files with passwords for millions of online accounts.
The dating website's contents are sensitive and could subject compromised members to embarrassment or even extortion attempts, experts said.
The attack on LinkedIn did not last long as the latest in a series of security breaches that could affect sensitive consumer data.
On Thursday, Last.fm, which recommends music to users based on the songs they already listen to, also warned its website visitors to change their passwords after a leak which may have resulted from a hacking attack.
"We're sorry for the inconvenience around changing your password," the London-based company wrote.
It is unclear if the three attacks are all related. Web application security expert Jeremiah Grossman said on Twitter that all three companies used common Apache software for serving web pages to visitors, though that doesn't mean that there is a new flaw in the program.
The series of problems underscored the continuing issues with passwords, which are best complex, different for each site and changed every few months.
Major breaches often lead to scam emails and account takeovers, which can be used to convince acquaintances of the target to click on dangerous links that monitor online credit card or bank account use.
LinkedIn caters to companies seeking employees and people scouting for jobs. It has more than 161 million members worldwide and makes money by selling marketing services and premium subscriptions.
Shares of LinkedIn closed up 1.1 percent at $94.13 on Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.
(Reporting by Jim Finkle in Boston and Joseph Menn in San Francisco; Writing by Jennifer Saba in New York and Joseph Menn in San Francisco; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Phil Berlowitz)
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NintendoLand,' 'Mario Bros.' coming to Wii U

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nintendo is relying on a famous plumber, zombies and a virtual theme park to build buzz for the Wii U.
The Japanese gaming giant unleashed 23 games for its upcoming console featuring a touchscreen controller during a news conference Tuesday at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the gaming industry's annual trade show.
Among the titles announced were the cooperative platform game "New Super Mario Bros. U" and the amusement-park-themed mini-game collection "NintendoLand." Nintendo also demonstrated the fantastical strategy sequel "Pikmin 3" and first-person undead-fighting game "ZombiU" from Ubisoft Entertainment.
The titles employed what the company is dubbing "asymmetric gameplay," which gives players using the 6.2-inch touchscreen controller called the Wii U GamePad a different experience than those armed with traditional Wii controllers. The Wii U will be compatible with previous Wii controllers, including the Wii Nunchuk and Wii Balance Board.
"When we launched the Wii at the press conference in 2006, people were still wondering what this thing is all about," said Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, backstage after the press conference. "To make a comparison of where we are with the Wii U vs. the Wii, I think we're actually much further along. I say that because here at this press conference, we're able to show off over 20 games, and we've got fantastic third-party support."
Nintendo illustrated that "New Super Mario Bros. U" could be played on either a TV or the touchscreen controller, and that the latest installment in the brick-smashing, coin-collecting franchise would allow up to four players to play simultaneously with traditional controllers, while another could join in with the touchscreen controller to jab enemies and build platforms from afar.
"With the Wii U GamePad, we have the first dedicated personal screen in the long history of game machines," Shigeru Miyamoto, who created "Super Mario Bros." and "Legend of Zelda," said at the news conference through a translator.
Other games announced for the successor to the popular Wii console included the fitness title "Wii Fit U," a sing-and-dance-along game called "SiNG" and the word-filled puzzler "Scribblenauts Unlimited" from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
Nintendo Co. jumped ahead of rivals Microsoft Corp. and Sony Corp. to build hype at E3 by streaming an online video Sunday revealing that the touchscreen controller would be called the Wii U GamePad. The company also announced Sunday that it would release a traditional controller outfitted with two analog sticks called the Wii U Pro Controller, and that the Wii U's interface would be an online virtual hub called Miiverse.
Fils-Aime said Wii U users would be able to connect to the Miiverse, which is populated by cartoony Nintendo avatars called Miis, with Internet-enabled smartphones, tablets and other devices after the console's launch.
Microsoft and Sony showed off similar second-screen capabilities Monday. Microsoft unveiled an app called Xbox SmartGlass that would allow users to stream and share content across their TVs, tablets and smartphones using the Xbox 360, while Sony continued to hype what it calls "cross-play" between its PlayStation 3 console and PlayStation Vita hand-held device.
No price or release date was announced for the Wii U system, which was unveiled last year at E3. The tablet-like Wii U GamePad is equipped with an infrared transceiver, gyroscope and accelerometer. It also has a camera, stylus, two analog sticks and multiple buttons.
Fils-Aime said the Wii U console would work with two Wii U GamePads, but that feature was not demonstrated Tuesday.
Nintendo also previewed a trio of games for its 3DS handheld device starring its famous plumber siblings: "New Super Mario Bros. 2" introducing a golden Mario, "Paper Mario: Sticker Star" presenting a 2-D version of the protagonist in 3-D, and "Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon" focusing on Mario's ghost-capturing brother.
Following the news conference at the Nokia Theatre, long lines of people snaked around the Nintendo booth inside the Los Angeles Convention Center as they waited to try "NintendoLand," which features mini-games inspired by 12 different Nintendo franchises, such as "Legend of Zelda," ''Animal Crossing" and "Donkey Kong."


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Samsung Galaxy S III coming to U.S. Cellular in July

U.S. Cellular on Monday announced that it will join the four major U.S. carriers in offering Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S III smartphone. The nation’s sixth largest carrier will launch the handset sometime in July with preorders beginning June 12th, however pricing information was not disclosed. “We’re eager to get this iconic smartphone into the hands of our customers so they can experience the 4G LTE network on a powerful device with lots of new, unique and cool features,” said Edward Perez, vice president of sales and marketing operations for U.S. Cellular. “Whether you are a first-time smartphone buyer or a seasoned user, the Galaxy S III makes it easy to stay connected to the people and information that are important to you.” The Samsung Galaxy S III features a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, S Voice, AllShare Play, 4G LTE connectivity, 2GB of RAM and a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5GHz. U.S. Cellular’s press release follows below.


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Apple faces delay in seeking U.S. ban of Samsung tablets

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc is facing delays in renewing its request that a U.S. judge ban Samsung Electronics' Galaxy 10.1 tablets, a key battleground in the worldwide patent wars between the technology giants.
Apple sued Samsung last year, accusing the South Korean electronics maker of "slavishly" copying the iPhone and iPad. Samsung denies the claims and countersued.
U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, rejected Apple's bid to ban some Samsung smartphones and the Galaxy 10.1 tablet. Last month, an appeals court told Koh to reconsider Apple's request regarding the tablet.
Apple promptly asked Koh for a ban once again. But in a brief order on Monday, Koh denied Apple's motion on procedural grounds, saying the appeals court must formally cede jurisdiction back to her before she could consider it.
Once that happens, Apple could refile its request, Koh said, without specifying when the appeals court would relinquish jurisdiction.
A Samsung representative could not immediately be reached for comment, while Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet pointed to an earlier statement saying Samsung's "blatant" copying was wrong.
"Each day that Samsung continues to sell its infringing Tab 10.1 causes additional harm to Apple through design dilution, lost sales, lost market share, and lost future sales of tag-along products," Apple said in a court filing last month.
The chief executives of both Apple and Samsung attended a court ordered mediation in Northern California last month, which failed to produce a settlement.
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Apple’s iPad may arrive in China on Monday

Despite an on-going legal dispute with Proview Technology over the iPad name, Apple’s latest tablet, the iPad, will reportedly go on sale this Monday, June 4th, according to Patently Apple. The blog’s sources claim the Cupertino-based company was recently granted a network access license for the Chinese mainland and a release is imminent. Apple’s latest tablet is equipped with a model number of A1430 and is compatible with China Unicom’s 3G and 4G networks.

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Digital music revenue overtakes physical formats in U.K. for first time

Digital music downloads and streaming revenues for the first time ever have surpassed those of physical CDs in the United Kingdom, according to the British Phonographic Industry. Digital music accounted for 55.5% of U.K. music revenue between January and April of this year compared to 31% of worldwide industry revenue in 2011, with industry revenues growing by 2.7% to £155.8 million. Digital music revenue, including subscription and ad-supported services, grew by 23.6% year-over-year to £86.5 million, while revenue from physical formats fell by 15.1% to £69.3 million. Sales of digital albums increased by 22.7% to £35.9 million. Paid-for subscription services revenue almost doubled over the same month a year ago, increasing 93% to nearly £9 million, while revenue from ad-supported services such as Spotify increased by 20% to £3.4 million. The continued increase of digital revenues highlights the switch millions of users continue to make from physical music formats to digital downloads and streaming services. The British Phonographic Industry’s press release follows below.
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