There are over 4 billion wireless subscribers the world over and 80% out of them use GSM as their preferred system of communication, that by simple arithmetic would translate to some 3.2 billion humans. GSM has been known to be secure, since it uses a specialized digital modulation GMSK to be exact and also has built in security via the A5/1 Algorithm that was introduced somewhere in 1998. There are various variants of this algo i.e. the 64 bit version and the 128 bit version. Operators the world use different versions, some use the 64 bit while others have shifted to 128 bit version which is more secure.

Karsten Nohl a German engineer has broken the 64 bit version of the A5/1 algorithm and released his research online via BitTorrent. What this means at least theoretically is that voice conversations, SMS, and other E-commerce related financial transactions can be heard/intercepted, over the air. But this is true only for operators who have yet not shifted to the 128 bit A5/1 algorithm of the GSM standard.

Apart from this, hackers would need specialized hardware to eavesdrop in to the wireless GSM link, they would also require advanced Signal Processing software (something that is available thanks to Open Source). The engineer says he did it to coax operators (who haven’t shifted to the more secure version of the encryption) to make the switch. The GSM Group however, has termed Kohl’s work as illegal and adding that, “This is theoretically possible but practically unlikely”. Well whatever that means the fact of the matter is that the security was comprised and this calls for stringent actions.

This should serve as an eye opener for people using GSM systems.

The new year 2010 is just across the horizon and people are going for holidays with hopes and wishes for a better and prosperous next year, there are also concerns of how the global and regional economies will emerge from the recession.

It’s was a tough deal to survive the economic recession and keep a company aloft and strong, and the companies which survived and remain profitable in this recession period were the employee favorite places as a working place. GlassDOOR.com is a relatively startup company which allows employees to anonymously take a salary survey and write review about the company for which they work, letting people search and see which companies rank high in the eyes of their employee. The ranking involve many facts and metrics such as average and max salaries, employee freedom and satisfaction, CEO approval and many other.

Glassdoor just released Glassdoor Reveals Top 50 Best Places to Work, 2010 listing of companies which are top as far as their ranking, CEO approval, and surprisingly enough tech companies didn’t make it in the top 10. Among the top tech companies Juniper Networks, Google, Netapp, Apple QUALCOMM were found with many other but Airlines and other business making it in the top 10. Southwest Airlines did however, made it to the top and Intel also made it into the list.

Since its announcement Google Wave has been making waves in the IT industry and elsewhere. The communications platform for the next generation which was announced somewhere in May 2009 has some very advanced features for collaboration, communication and networking. Best of all it lets users work and share stuff in real time. A preview release was given to 100,000 users somewhere in September 2009. All others were asked to register for an invite. This scribe registered for an invite and verily it was received just a few days back.

Using the wave has been one good experience and I must say it is going to be the medium of choice for most if not all in the coming years. This is something new, innovative and far ahead of the rest of pack by leaps and bounds. Imagine having the facility to work in real time on projects, share thoughts, chat,collaborate and then view the entire communication in a timeline view as if reminiscing about it. One could go on and on writing about it, but unfortunately it would make little sense for most folks out there since the public at large is devoid of a Google Wave account. This sounds familiar doesn’t it? remember the time Orkut was released to the public albeit by invites only? The public went bonkers just waiting for an invite.

 Ok now I have to break the suspense surrounding this post. We at BiggTech have decided to give away twenty, that’s right 20 invites of Google Wave to readers. All you have to do is send us an e-mail stating the reason why you want to use Google Wave, or why you want an invite. Let’s see the creative in you, the mails are to be sent at tips@biggtech.com with the words Google Wave Invite in the subject. Closing date is 25 th December 2009, hurry and get invited. Users names along with their replies will be posted on the blog.

Bing Maps has gone 3D! The map service which has been trying hard to rival Google’s maps has gone a step ahead of them, now it is Google’s turn to throw in something new. To us this service one will have to install the 3D patch which can be downloaded by clicking the 3D button on Bing maps. After running the installation simply click on the return to maps and you will be taken to the maps showing 3D views of the selected locations.

Three options are presented at the start to choose from, that is, “Best Performance”, “Balanced” and “Best Quality”. Choose the one that you want to use and enjoy a 3D experience of viewing maps. The other options of tilting camera, zooming in/out, increasing/decreasing altitude are also available. The street views are pretty good and one can get directions easily, or even enjoy moving along a road as if flying over it. Actually it is plain old digital photos that have been analyzed using Microsoft Photosynth to create a 3D view .

The features are great and it is one impressive utility but what bothers me most is if the same service is abused by people who want to plan terrorist attacks, isn’t this making it one more step easier for them to plan?

The official Chrome OS is still to be released, some say next year, so what all choices do we have? Wait for a year or just wait? well not for long the since folks at Dell have tinkered with the OS and have produced a hacked version of the OS (8 GB in all) which can be loaded in to a Flash disk for trying out Live, but in a Dell Mini 10v. This certainly comes as a surprise because just recently Google declared the project Open Source and the trend certainly has caught on rather fast.

The hacked version is available for download and instructions are also available online for users to follow. To do this one has to own a Dell Mini 10v though. So Mini 10v owners are the blessed ones or people who can afford and are dying to try out Chrome can buy to take the plunge. After downloading the image one will have to load the image on to a 8 GB thumb drive and reboot via the USB for previewing Google Chrome.

The OS boots up in under 12 seconds and is known to work well. Driver support may vary according to the model but since this hack is exclusively for the Mini 10v so owners of these machines will find no glitches hopefully except for the Wi-Fi which is known to show hiccups during operation. Anyways it won’t hurt to try out the OS on any machine just to experience its looks and response minus the depleted driver support.

The Magic Mouse by Apple is a device which attracted wide attention of the PC/Mac enthusiasts. It was designed to work on Macs but now thanks to a Bluetooth Update the rodent can work in Windows XP and 7.

Finger controlled scrolling and basic magic mouse moves are working fine but advanced moves have a few glitches which need to be put right.We hope someone releases a third party patch for the overall benefit of all.

The Bluetooth Update can be downloaded from the Apple website and relevant drivers extracted by WinRar for 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows. Install the $ 70 contraption, load its drivers and enjoy using the Magic moves and features.

Christmas and Holiday season is around the corner and this calls for taking some time out to find that perfect gift for a loved one. With so much happening year round making a decision on what to buy and what not is really difficult. Prices are expected to drop and this should be the best time of the year to buy stuff you have been dying to get your hands on whether for yourself or for someone close. We have some gift ideas lined up which will for sure make it easier for you to find the ideal gift.

• ACM Wallet. What’s in a wallet? well literally your whole life, as it carries your IDs, License, money, credit cards etc etc. And by the way a sizeable population on the planet buys Leather wallets. ACM wallet is quite different, its made of metal, comes in multiple colors and is designed to hold all types of credit/debit cards. Personal/Company logos can be engraved on the outer surface. Comes in two varieties for housing 6 or 12 cards. The cards snug in nicely in their bays and are ejected on pushing the corresponding button. A separate clip is provided for carrying cash. This is the perfect gift costing a mere $ 40 and hence tops our list. Check out the ACM website for more information.

Ok guys and girls the wait is finally over, Microsoft Office 2010 Beta is available for download now! The suite is available in 32 and 62 bit versions for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. Remember this is the Beta which is for the public to test drive only. It can be downloaded form the Microsoft website. Other apps and suites available for download are the SharePoint Server, Visio, Project and Exchange Server. Besides all this Office Mobile is also available for download.

Initially the suite is available in seven languages, which are, English, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), French, German and Russian. In order to download one has to use his/her Windows Live ID to sign in, and fill out some registration info. After that the download link does everything. The suite is around 650 MB in space and will take 1 to 3 hours to download depending on your Internet connection. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, what are you waiting for?Just follow the download link and test drive the thing.

Sometime back it was Symbian OS which gave users the flexibility of installing hundreds of thousands of applications, then iPhone overshadowed everything by making available thousands of applications at the Apple website, now its Android’s turn. The Google based OS for smart phones that is poised to take the world by storm has an equally impressive number of applications lined up for its loyal followers. Some of the most wanted are described here in not so fine detail. The applications/games introduced here have been selected after much surfing and browsing.

• Wapedia. Originally developed by Taptu Limited the application makes it possible for users to access Wikipedia contents on their Android based phones. The application is fast in accessing content even on 2G Networks. This is a must have utility for Wikipedia fans. Its features included news items, image rendering, auto-complete feature for article titles, support for multiple languages and links to alternative wikis.

Dell is finally in the mobile phone arena with this little smart phone called as the Mini3. The device has a 3.5” screen size and runs on Android OS. According to Dell it is “the world’s smallest Dell”. The phone is going to be released in China through China Mobile and in Brazil through Claro. Other regions will also have it from various telcos.

The smart phone sports a 3 MP camera which might look a little out of place since most modern phones nowadays have a 5 MP cam attached to their faces. A tiny stylus comes bundled with the phone for people with thick finger tips. The Chinese version they say will not have 3G or even WiFi. There is no 3.5 mm jack instead the mini USB has a mini USB to 3.5 mm connector for the job.

The screen res is 360 x 640. Mini3 has Bluetooth, mini USB and microSD slot. There is no QWERTY keyboard instead the device has an onscreen keyboard besides the usual handwriting recognition ability. The phone is sleek and impressive looks. More pictures can be viewed at the 163  Chinese website.