Lenovo to offer No-Contract Mobile Broadband Service

Press Release: Lenovo today introduced Lenovo Mobile Access, a flexible, no-contract mobile broadband service that gives consumers and business users greater choice and flexibility when connecting to valued online services. Lenovo Mobile Access provides pre-connected, always-on, customizable connectivity to the Internet and corporate networks, making it an ideal solution for users who need access to online content, applications and services away from their home, office or public Wi-Fi hotspots. Powered by a scalable cloud-based platform from Macheen Inc., the service is now embedded across select models of the ThinkPad product line and available immediately in the United States and nine European countries.

Designed to fit the needs of both individual and “prosumer” customers, Lenovo Mobile Access delivers broadband connectivity that’s available anytime, anywhere yet users pay only for the access they need. Flexible, no-contract payment options let casual users buy a “Time Pass” for as little as USD 1.95 for 30 minutes or USD 8.95 for one day—perfect to quickly sync email or ensure online access during travel. Users with more frequent connectivity requirements, or who work with large media files can purchase monthly plans with 2GB or 6GB of data access, along with the option for automatic monthly renewal. Businesses can leverage the same pay-as-you-go options, helping them reduce the cost of mobile broadband connectivity with right-sized access that can be extended to large numbers of individual employees.

Business customers can also take advantage of intelligent features designed to streamline device management, increase security and productivity for mobile employees, and reduce operational expenses. All ThinkPad laptops with embedded mobile broadband connectivity ship with Lenovo Mobile Access pre-activated as the default configuration. A single SIM is used for global access, enabling mass roll-out capabilities over a secure connection. Web-based policy management tools let IT administrators customize permissions and access options by services or application, for the whole company, specific workgroups, or individual users. Simple payment options allow centralized, single-payer end-of-month billing for corporate arrangements.

Pricing and Availability
Lenovo Mobile Access is available immediately in select models of ThinkPad Classic and ThinkPad Edge laptops equipped with a 3G module. At launch, the service is available in the United States, UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands. Contract-free time passes are available in the following increments and data allotments: 30 minutes (30 MB), 1 day (200 MB), 1 month (2 GB) and 1 month (6 GB). Auto-renewable, bandwidth-specific monthly plans are also available for data allotments of 200 MB, 2 GB and 6 GB. Country-specific pricing information is available on the Lenovo Mobile Access control panel.

The service will formally launch on July 1st, but the manufacturer is already shipping out laptops equipped with the required internal hardware to facilitate the mobile broadband option — which does not require a dongle.

The FLAME Virus

Wikipedia Entry

Nasty piece of malware that is reported being used at targeted Middle Eastern Countries. It can be spread over LAN links or USB drive. It has the ability to record audio, screenshots, keyboard activity and network traffic. The program records Skype conversations and can turn an infected computer with Bluetooth into a collector of contact information from other Bluetooth enabled devices. The information is sent to one of several receiving servers and the program waits for further instructions from those servers.

According to estimates by Kaspersky in May 2012, Flame had infected approximately 1,000 machines, with victims including governmental organizations, educational institutions and private individuals. At that time the countries most affected were Iran, Israel, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, with a "huge majority of targets" within Iran. Flame has also been reported in Europe and North America.[ Flame supports a "kill" command which wipes all traces of the malware from the computer. Flame stopped operating after its public exposure, and the "kill" command was sent.

Sounds like the making of a movie thriller. Reportedly linked to the Stuxnet malware program, this product’s origins are unknown. Because of what it does and its complexity some nation-state is likely behind it.

Security firms have not been warning of any direct risk to average Internet users. Sophos' Graham Cluley noted that Flame has only been discovered in a few hundred computers. “Certainly, it's pretty insignificant when you compare it to the 600,000 Mac computers which were infected by the Flashback malware earlier this year,” Cluley wrote in a blog post.

So should you worry about infection from this virus on your computer? Probably not. It has been primarily directed towards government systems. Microsoft has issued a fix for this and most security companies have included a fix for it as well. Keep your Microsoft patches up to date and of course your virus/malware definition tables and you should be fine.