Segway LLC is rolling out three new models of its self-balancing, two-wheeled machines.
A rack transforms one version into a single-person golf cart, and wide tires outfit another for off-road riding. The final model looks more like previous versions, but comes in sportier colors like red and yellow.
Each new Segway also features better batteries for longer ranges. They can travel twice as far, up to 24 miles in some cases.
But suggested retail prices aren’t coming down. Each one costs at least $5,000 with the new batteries.
Firefox flaw fixed: A new version of the Mozilla Firefox browser fixes a flaw that made users vulnerable to online fraud.
The flaw allowed fraudsters to set up fake Web sites with names indistinguishable from legitimate firms.
It worked because, to a Firefox user, a Web address with one Cyrillic letter in place of the Latin-script letters used in English could look indistinguishable from an address written completely in Latin script. For instance, a Cyrillic “a” looks just like the Latin “a,” but if used in a Web address, it will send the surfer to a different site.
Firefox 1.0.1, released last week, shows Web addresses with foreign scripts in code, preceded by the letters “xn.” So “paypal.com” with a Cyrillic “a” becomes “xn-pypal-4ve.com.”
This means that perfectly legitimate Web sites with names in, say, Latvian, will display with the “xn” prefix.
The Mozilla Foundation, which distributes the browser, said the change is temporary, but a long-term solution requires industry cooperation.
Privacy be gone: Cybercafe owners are complaining about a new rule that requires them to record personal details of every visitor to help police track perpetrators of Internet-related crimes.
Police in Bangalore, India, sent hundreds of letters in the past month asking cybercafes to keep records of visitors in case police want to investigate virus attacks, online fraud and terrorism. Under the rule, a visitor must produce a photo identity card before beginning to browse. Login and log-out times will also be noted.
Internet users expressed concerns about intrusion of privacy and police harassment. Cafe owners fear a drop in customers.
“People ask why they must part with personal details just to send an e-mail,” said G. Satish, co-owner of Cyberia, a downtown Internet shop that caters to tourists. “Many have walked out of my shop after being asked to register themselves.”
Pavan Duggal, a lawyer with expertise in cybercrimes, said the rule had several legal loopholes and presented a good case to be challenged in court.
“National security and individual privacy must be kept in balance,” he said.
From Herald news services
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
