The Chinese government has launched its
own Linux-based smart phone operating sys-
tem, the China Operating System (COS). It has
been developed by the Institute of Software at
the Chinese Academy of Sciences along with
the Shanghai Lian Tong Network Communica
-
tion Technology Inc.
COS is an open source software exactly like
Android system.
Through this new system, the Chinese govern-
ment hopes to break the monopoly of com-
peting markets on fundamental software. The
Chinese Academy of Sciences mentioned that
the other traditional operation systems are full
of errors and problems, notably security flaws.
But the news COS solves many of these prob
-
lems, notably the security, privacy and user
problems.
The new system has a simple and familiar in-
terface that operates on many smart devices.
It supports Java, HTML5 and web applications
in addition to currently being compatible with
more than 100,000 applications. It seems there
is a plan for COS to launch its own store.
Scientific facts confirm that heartbeats are
unique to each individual and never coincide
between one person and another.
Startup Bionym based its innovation on this
scientific fact. It developed a new device,
which is a wearable wristband that records
heartbeats and use them as an alternative to
passwords to unlock devices and access vari-
ous applications.
Bionym is working on developing iOS and
Android applications that use heartbeats
as a tool to verify the user’s identity to ac-
cess bank accounts and computer sys-
tems, and even to start cars and unlock
electronic devices without the need to
enter passwords.
US PCWorld Magazine said on its
website that Bionym president Andrew
D’Souza said the new device, called
Nymi takes the form of a wristband that
uses dual electrodes integrated into a
clasp. It is important for the user to touch the
clasp for a few seconds for the device to take
your pulse. It is important to note that the sen-
sor records pulse data only when you touch
the clasp and does not capture continuous
heart rate data.
COS to challenge
Android and iOS
Access your bank
account and
smartphone with
your heartbeats
The number of vulnerabilities found
in Microsoft’s Windows 7 and XP
operating systems rose to 102 and
99 in 2013 respectively.
The Denmark-based security com
-
pany, Secunia, said that the num
-
ber of security flaws found in Win
-
dows 7 and XP, doubled last year
in comparison to the number of
flaws found in 2012.
Secunia said that 50 and 49 vul
-
nerabilities were found in 2012 in
Windows 7 and XP respectively.
The US Computerworld maga
-
zine that published the report on
its website said that Windows 8
had the most vulnerabilities, at
156. Secunia said that was due to
the integration of Adobe System’s
Flash Player into the Internet Ex
-
plorer browser, which accounted
for 55 of those problems.
102 and 99 vulnerabilities in
Windows 7 and XP respectively
13
April
2014
