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Attack timed to coincide with Black Friday.

According to the Eleven Security Blog, iTunes users are being targeted with another scam designed to deliver a malware payload to their computers. The e-mail appears to come from the iTunes store, and contains a ZIP file that hosts malicious files.

The e-mail instructs the user that they have been sent a $50 iTunes store credit gift, and that the attached file in the e-mail included a code to redeem it. The malware contained is identified by A/V firms as Mal/BredoZp-B, which infects the computer with a backdoor trojan providing direct access for criminals and also is thought to mine for passwords and other information.

Black Friday scams online are quite common, as stores in the U.S. churn out deals and discounts to get customers on what's considered the first shopping day of the holiday season.

Big Fish Games Inc. surprised by Apple's sudden change.

The popular gaming firm said it worked with Apple for weeks to ensure that its new monthly subscription service for iPad gamers would meet all the requirements for recurring charges through Apple's App Store. The service had only been made available on November 18, and Big Fish has no clue why Apple dumped it.

"We were notified that the app was removed," said Paul Thelen, founder of Big Fish. "We're trying to follow up with Apple to try to figure out what happened."

He went on to say that after weeks of working with Apple, the Big Fish subscription gaming app was given official approval and appeared in the App Store.

The Big Fish application let users play dozens of its popular games for a flat $6.99 monthly fee. The "Play Instantly" service would provide unlimited access to games such as Mahjong Towers and Mystery Case Files. Thelen said that Apple was not convinced for some time that a subscription model would work for games.

"It took longer than usual to be approved," Thelen said yesterday. "They needed to be convinced there?s a reason to charge customers every month."

UK regulator orders broadband providers to tell all.

Ofcom has set out steps it expects Internet Service Providers in the UK to take, to make issues such as network traffic management as transparent as possible. ISPs use traffic management to deal with congestion, slowing down or speeding up the flow of traffic based on priority.

The regulator admits that in practice it is beneficial for the most part, being used, for example, to protect critical traffic such as emergency calls. However, Ofcom is concerned that ISPs could use the same management systems to target rivals' services.

It said that ISPs do not go far enough in providing information to consumers about how they manage traffic. If ISPs do not cooperate with Ofcom, it may use its powers to enforce a minimum level of consumer information under European framework.

It expects the ISPs should provide the following information to their customers:

• Average speed information that indicates the level of service consumers can expect to receive;
• Information about the impact of any traffic management that is used on specific types of services, such as reduced download speeds during peak times for peer-to-peer software; and
• Information on any specific services that are blocked, resulting in consumers being unable to run the services and applications of their choice.

Survey finds British oppose mobile phone ownership amongst young kids.

The poll of 2,000 people found that almost three quarters of them felt it was inappropriate for a child aged below 12 years to own a mobile phone. The survey, which was carried out by Recombu.com, noted that up to 79 percent of children in Britain, aged between 7 and 11 years, already own a mobile phone.

Concerns about children having mobile phones range from the prospect of expensive bills, unmonitored Internet use and a lack of easy parental controls, yet up to 90 percent of parents liked the idea of a child having a mobile phone in case of emergency.

More than 1 in 10 admitted they would buy a new phone for a child as encouragement for good behaviour or good results at school.

"It is reassuring for parents to be in constant contact with their children, but there are clearly concerns about just how careful a young child will be with their own mobile phone," Hannah Bouckley, editor of Recombu, said.

Loyalty highest among iPhone owners, research firm finds.

Gfk published the findings of a poll it conducted among smartphone owners in several countries. It found that 84 percent of iPhone owners would choose to eventually replace the handset with another, upgraded iPhone. That compares to 60 percent of consumers who have smartphones that run Android who said they'd stick to the same operating system.

Research in Motion (RiM) didn't fare too well with only 48 percent of respondents admitting they'd stay loyal to Blackberry's. Sales of smartphones continues to grow, though at a slower pace. Still, sales rose 49 percent last quarter compared to the same period of 2010.

Gfk's findings come from interviews with 4,500 people in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, China, Japan and the United States.

"Apple is clearly ahead of the game, but developments next year will challenge that," Ryan Garner, analyst at GfK, said. Building market position now is important for players in the smartphone business, as consumers tend to have a high rate of loyalty toward a brand of mobile phone.

Judge questions fairness of injunction.

On October 13, Federal Court Justice Annabelle Bennett issued an injunction against the sale and marketing of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in Australia, until both Apple and Samsung resolve a patent dispute at trial. Samsung's lawyer, Neil Young, said that Bennett failed to consider the dire consequences of the ban on Samsung's business.

Now another Judge is questioning the decision. Federal Court Justice Lindsay Foster questioned the fairness of the ruling that led to the injunction being granted at Apple's request. "The result looks terribly fair to Apple and not terribly fair to Samsung," Foster said.

The Australian case is only one of several around the world between Samsung and Apple. The iPhone-maker has accused Samsung of "slavishly" cloning its i-Devices in its Galaxy line of smartphones and tablet PCs.

Throughout the industry there are several high-profile cases between tech firms involving patented technology used with mobile devices. This week, the European Commissioner for Competition, Joaquin Almunia, expressed concerns about how patents are being used to stifle competition in the market.

Finnish NPTO on design protection.

Did your grandmother ever make clothes for you as a kid? Such as a scarf or socks for example? In many cases, the designs on those items of clothing came from weaving magazines or guides for enthusiasts. I bet your grandmother never thought it would be considered a crime to give you such a nice gift?

In Finland, that may actually be the case. The National Patent and Trademark Office (NPTO) has explained that if the designs in such magazines are protected, then you can only use the instructions/guide to craft a product for your own personal use, even taking into account that the designs could be published in a magazine for knitting / weaving enthusiasts.

The NPTO explained that deciding where to apply limits is difficult, because design protection doesn't only apply to commercial use.

"Design protection forbids commercial and professional abuse, but you can make one product [using the guide] for your own personal use. The limit where those rights end is a shady line. One must consider that more you make, the closer the [professionalism] line is. It isn't really for your own use if you make gifts for wider circle", says Tapio Priia from NPTO.

Microsoft may be looking to buy Yahoo, again, just 4 years after its failed $44 billion bid for the company fell flat.

The software giant has signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with Yahoo that will allow it to poke into its finances.

Yahoo, since firing its CEO Carol Bartz in September, has been looking for a buyer or to sell off its most profitable assets, like its stake in the Alibaba Group.

The board of the company is expected to move forward with a plan in the next few weeks.

Although the NDA could signal Microsoft is an interested party, it could also just be the company protecting its search ad joint venture with Yahoo. Microsoft would like to keep that alliance, even if Yahoo is sold off.

Google TV, which saw its update to Honeycomb earlier this month, now has updated YouTube and Photo apps.

The YouTube app "introduces playlists to your living room. You can now easily watch your YouTube subscriptions on your HDTV and quickly access your other playlists like Watch Later and Favorites. If you have your own channel, you can now add videos to it from your Google TV. So whether you're a newshound wanting a constant stream of world events or you're a curator in search of an even more endless summer of content, you can sit back on your comfy couch and enjoy YouTube's thousands of options in the High Definition brilliance of your Google TV."

For the new Photos app, Google says, "the app already syncs with your online photo albums uploaded to Picasa & Flickr, and now we've added a great new feature called Discover to your Google TV Photos app. Discover creates an animated and constantly changing collage using photos from the albums you have uploaded online and synced with your Google TV. When you click on one of the photos in Discover, you go straight to the album where you can start a slideshow or simply view other photos in the album. With Discover you now have an even more fun way to rediscover your favorite memories caught on camera."

As usual, the geniuses over at Ubisoft are blaming piracy for their troubles.

The troubled gaming studio has announced today that it will not be releasing a PC version of the upcoming Ghost Recon Future Soldier because they believe everyone would just pirate it, anyways.

Instead, the company will be releasing a free-to-play Ghost Recon Online.

The news follows "I Am Alive" creative director Stanislas Mettra telling gamers to stop "bitching" about the lack of a PC version, since everyone with a computer is just a pirate.

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier for the PS3 and Xbox 360 is set for a March release and PC gamers will get the F2P version at the same time.

Says producer Sebastien Arnoult (via Escapist)

We are giving away most of the content for free because there's no barrier to entry. To the users that are traditionally playing the game by getting it through Pirate Bay, we said, 'Okay, go ahead guys. This is what you're asking for. We've listened to you - we're giving you this experience. It's easy to download, there's no DRM that will pollute your experience.'

HMV will be the next retailer to join the digital video rental market.

The company's service, at hmvondemand.com, will allow customers to stream or download movies when they go on sale on DVD.

On Demand will be powered by FilmFlex, a venture by Sony Pictures and Walt Disney. The service also has films from Film4oD and Virgin Media.

HMV and FilmFlex will share all revenue from the new service, says FT.

The launch titles are new releases like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ? Part 2, Cars 2 and X-Men First Class.

To start, the movies will only be available for rental on PCs but will eventually be available in the cloud for mobile access and as a download-to-own model.

HTC is looking into building a Chromebook, despite slow sales for current Chromebooks on the market from Acer and Samsung.

Chromebooks, which run on the cloud-centric Chrome OS operating system offer a fast-booting, Internet-only device and access to cloud services like Google Docs, Google Music and many other apps via the Chrome Web Store.

If accurate, the reports say HTC will be looking to "combine the advantages of Android and Chrome OS," although it remains unclear how they will do so.

One rumor has HTC running the operating system on an ARM chipset like those seen on smartphones. ARM chips are much more power efficient than Intel and could give large battery life to users.

LG has announced today the renewal of its mobile phone partnership with high-end fashion name Prada.

The two companies have already created two "premium" Prada phones in the past and the PRADA phone by LG 3.0 will launch in February of next year.

Says the Prada CEO:

The partnership between Prada and LG has always been characterised by an innovative approach and uncompromised quality of style, design and breakthrough technology. These values are common to both our brands, which have always anticipated, and often set, the trends in many fields. We were therefore delighted to cooperate again with LG in the development of the latest creation of the mobile communication industry.

Our working relationship with PRADA is unique in its longevity and success, something no other phone company and luxury brand have been able to replicate. Having successfully launched two PRADA phones by LG, we look forward to collaborating further to develop premium handsets with a strong identity and the most sophisticated style.

Groupon, the daily deal giant who went public earlier this month continues to see its stock fall, with share prices now under the IPO pricing.

The company IPOd at $20 per share and the service now trades at $17 just three weeks later, showing investor jitters in a company with questionable accounting and no chance for profits.

Groupon, one of the founders of "daily deals," sites that offer highly discounted deals to local restaurants and other retailers, was launched in 2008 and is expected to see $1.5 billion in revenue this year.

While the growth is strong, the company remains unprofitable and now has competition from behemoths like Amazon and Google.

Groupon will lose over $400 million this year, mainly due to payroll for its 10,400 employees.

Something to do during Thanksgiving weekend.

From today (Thursday, November 24) until Sunday, Xbox 360 owners in the United States will be able to have benefits of Xbox Live Gold membership without having to pay for it (cue the PlaySation Network comments).

That means multiplayer gaming without a gold subscription while the Turkey settles. You will also be able to use other Xbox Live services such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, Facebook, Last.fm, Zune Music Pass and ESPN.

It probably goes without saying but this doesn't apply to anywhere outside the United States, being an American holiday.