Didn’t have time to keep up with every ripple in the technology pond this week? We’ve got you covered. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last week.
Facebook gets hacked, users subjected to hardcore porn
Earlier this week we learned that some Facebook users were seeing news feeds filled with images of hardcore pornography and violence. It was originally suspected that the hacker group Anonymous may have had something to do with the attack, but that assumption has since been debunked. The spam attack is now mostly under control and the company has said that someone exploiting a browser vulnerability, not Anonymous, is responsible for the breach. A Facebook spokesperson has maintained that no user information or accounts were compromised during the several-day attack.
Google and Apple launch cloud-based music services
This week we saw two of the most important and notable releases in the domain of cloud-based music services from both Google and Apple. We covered the announcement of the public version of Google Music on Wednesday, which now includes the ability to purchase songs through the Android Market, and gave our own hands-on impressions of the service. Apple also launched its counter-attack with the release of iTunes Match, a similar cloud-based music service that users can purchase for $25 per year. We took a first look at the new service to see if it’s worthy of all the hype.
Nokia introduces MixRadio for Windows Phones, Lumia may be carried at AT&T in the US
This week Nokia revealed more of the specs of MixRadio, a music service that will be included in its new Lumia 710 and 800 Windows Phone 7.5 handsets. The service will offer users access to an MP3 store, pre-made playlists, streaming, and more. We also confirmed this week that carrier AT&T is looking into carrying both Nokia Windows Phone handsets starting sometime in 2012.
Amazon may jump into the smartphone market
In one of the more exciting news developments of the week, we are hearing from Citigroup analysts that Amazon may jump into the smartphone market with an Amazon phone in the next year. Rumor has it that the phone will be priced in the $150 to $170 range and will run on a heavily-modified version of Android, much like the Kindle Fire.
iPhone surpasses BlackBerry in business, Apple preps for record sales
In a surprising but somewhat inevitable occurrence, it seems that Apple’s iPhone has finally surpassed BlackBerry as the preferred handset of business users. BlackBerry has had a corner on this part of the market for years, so it’s a success that Apple shouldn’t take lightly. According to recent estimates, Apple is also on track to sell a record number of Macs this quarter, which will likely only increase with the possible release of a 15-inch MacBook Air in March.
