50% off on Hotspot Shield Elite VPN

Public WiFi hotspots are great, but did you know that you are the prime target for hackers in public WiFi networks if you are not equipped with the right safety tools? With the cyber crime rates on the rise, it is better to take the extra precaution to keep your personal information safe from predators, who are looking to intercept your connection to steal your identity. Don't let this happen to you.

I've had my share of identity theft and I can tell you it's the most annoying thing you'll have to go through to clean that up. I knew for a fact that I didn't sign up for another Netflix account when I already had one and that I was right here in San Francisco when my credit card bill showed that I just had lunch in Texas. Hey, if I could be in two places at once or travel through a time capsule, that would be so magical, but we all know that those things are impossible. And that is why I bring you this deal today, just in time for you to finish your holiday shopping.

Rated 4.5 stars by CNET, Hotspot Shield Elite VPN (virtual private network) is a must have utility if you are connecting to public WiFi hotspots. It provides you with a cloud-based protection against malicious, infected and phishing websites, so you can shop and browse worry-free. In addition, if you are traveling to countries, where certain websites or content are blocked or censored, you can now access them without a problem.

Check out why HSS Elite VPN is a must-have:

• Secure your web session, data, online shopping, and personal information with HTTPS encryption.
• Protect yourself from identity theft, and malicious, phishing or infected websites.
• Access all content privately without censorship; bypass firewalls.
• Protect yourself from hackers at Wi-Fi hotspots: hotels, airports and coffee shops<./li>
• Works on both PC and Mac, including the latest operating systems (Windows 8 and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion)

Normally priced at $29.95, HotSpot Shield Elite VPN is 50% off for 48 hours only, exclusively on CNET Download.com. There are limited copies available, so grab a copy today. Offer expires at 11:59pm PT on Friday, December 21, 2012.

Facebook Message Test Lets Strangers Put Notes In Your Inbox For Cash

Facebook sure is a different company now that it's on the stock exchange. Now that it's a for-profit entity with stockholders, the company has completely changed course, and it's having a serious impact on user experience. News feeds are now loaded with ads, and even video ads could be en route. But ads are a fact of life for the media business. That said, the company's newest trial may cross more than a few lines. A recent blog post from Facebook notes that it's trying out a new messaging option for a select few in the U.S.


Right now, Facebook users have an Inbox and an Others box, two places where Facebook "emails" are filtered into. As of today, Facebook is "starting a small experiment to test the usefulness of economic signals to determine relevance. This test will give a small number of people the option to pay to have a message routed to the Inbox rather than the Other folder of a recipient that they are not connected with." In other words, advertisers, companies and total strangers will be able to pay an undisclosed amount to slip a message into your Inbox -- without your permission and without you even having to have them connected as a friend. Yikes.

Facebook is playing this up as a way for common people to have more direct access to strangers they may see at a convention, or hiring managers looking for folks who are super dedicated. But on the surface, it sure feels creepy. Digital communications have largely been a level playing field up until this. You can email someone regardless of your wealth or status, and there's no way for people with excess cash to get at the top of your inbox. But with this new tactic, that's changing.

This message routing feature is only for personal messages between individuals in the U.S. In this test, the number of messages a person can have routed from their Other folder to their Inbox will be limited to a maximum of one per week. Still, Facebook promises to evolve the service as the test plows on, so don't be shocked if you start getting notes in your Inbox from people or companies you don't even know.

Alleged iPad mini models, pricing leaks online

A leaked inventory system screenshot has purportedly leaked the pricing scheme behind Apple's upcoming 7-inch tablet, dubbed the iPad mini.

The base price of the iPad mini (8GB storage, Wi-Fi only) is set at €249, or $320 at the current exchange rate, according to German site MobileGeeks (via GigaOm). The leaked screenshot is reportedly from a widely used inventory system in Europe and Asia used by mobile firms and cellular networks. 

Here's the pricing scheme as it's being reported:

iPad mini (Wi-Fi, 8GB, Black/White)	€249	~ $320
iPad mini (Wi-Fi, 16GB, Black/White)	€349	~ $450
iPad mini (Wi-Fi, 32GB, Black/White)	€449	~ $580
iPad mini (Wi-Fi, 64GB, Black/White)	€549	~ $710
iPad mini (Cellular, 8GB, Black/White)	€349	~ $450
iPad mini (Cellular, 16GB, Black/White)	€449	~ $580
iPad mini (Cellular, 32GB, Black/White)	€549	~ $710
iPad mini (Cellular, 64GB, Black/White)	€649	~ $840

(It's worth noting that Apple tends to synchronize prices across continents, even if they don't necessarily translate at the currency-exchange level. It goes almost without saying: until Apple announces the device, pegged for October 23 according to numerous reports, the pricing at this point may not be accurate.)

The iPad mini, which may not be its final name, has been on the tip of the technology world's tongue for months as Amazon, Google, and Samsung continue to dominate this almost-niche section of the 7-inch tablet market. Apple has yet to capitalize on this lucrative market, based on sales figures from the companies' quarterly earnings reports.

There are a few things to consider with the iPad mini. To wit:

Cellular conundrum: The Guardian (via CNET) said that the iPad mini will not include cellular connectivity, citing unnamed industry sources. The leaked pricing figures suggest that Apple has a cellular version of the iPad mini ready to roll out. But cellular devices cost more than wireless networking devices. It boils down to the profit margin figures.

Should the device come without 3G or 4G LTE connectivity, Apple also avoids the headache over selling the expected device without facing the hassle of building different LTE hardware models for the requirements of each cellular network.

That said, the leaked pricing suggests that at least some cellular connectivity may be on the way. Apple could avoid the 4G LTE headaches by simply include 3G connectivity. How this compares to the production costs of including 4G LTE connectivity remains unclear.

Pricing: The pricing leaves little to be desired between the 7-inch iPad mini and the 4-inch iPod touch -- two devices that are for all intents and purposes the same device -- (if the iPad mini does include cellular connectivity, include the iPhone into the iPod touch mix) -- because the prices do not suggest a stable middle ground between the smaller and larger tablet-esque devices.

The iPad 3 pricing starts at $499 while the iPad 2 starts at $399. ZDNet's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes suggests the ideal price would arrive in at below $299 to remain competitive with its larger 9.7-inch counterparts. The new 4-inch iPod touch starts at $299 which isn't a far cry away from the estimated $320 price tag of the base version of the iPad mini. 

Apple's profit margins are typically high. Recent Apple v. Samsung court filings show the iPhone alone has a profit margin of between one-quarter and one-third. It's likely Apple will balance two crucial elements -- competing 7-inch tablets, while negating a price disparity between the 4-inch iPod touch and the 9.7-inch iPad -- but exactly how it'll manage this one is anybody's guess.

Either Apple will 'do an Amazon' and sell the iPad mini at a loss or at a fraction of the profit margin of the iPod touch and iPad, or it will bump the price of the iPad mini and retain a modest profit margin while keeping the pricing balance right across its range of iOS-powered devices.

Enterprise value: A smaller iPad will shake up the 7-inch tablet market for sure. Amazon's Android-powered Kindle is a thin-client designed to consume the company's cloud services. Samsung is a hardware company through and through and leaves Google, the Android mobile operating system maker, to the cloud services with Google Play. Apple is in almost the same position: it's part-hardware maker, part-cloud provider. For the business market, however, the cloud and apps don't matter. Businesses have their own clouds, their own sideloaded apps, and their own infrastructure. 

If Apple nails the $399 price point or less, it will be a short-term fix for Apple, ZDNet's Larry Dignan explains. All eyes will be on Microsoft's Surface -- the true 'business' tablet -- which has yet to make a pricing appearance. If Apple is able to nail down the price to a sub-$399 figure and take on Microsoft at its relatively new game, it can blow Amazon's Kindle at $199 out of the water.

IT & Network Infrastructure : Intel Xeon, Atom-Powered Devices Are Highlights of 2012 IDF Conference

When researching a story, journalists like to come across the terms "first," "only," and "new," because the more those words are used in a news item, the more newsy the item will be. Intel at its annual international developers' forum in San Francisco had a few "firsts," "onlys" and "new" items to talk about. For example, the first Atom-powered smartphones—from makers such as Orange (France), Lenovo (China), Lava (India) and Megafon (Russia)—were on display for developers to check out. Those qualified under all three terms. In addition, the world's largest chip maker showed new Ultrabook laptops and desktop PCs with new, more powerful and power-efficient 22-nanometer chips. A lot of emphasis was put on the ability of these new chips to power ever-more-realistic gaming, high-definition video, touch-screen and business applications to sky-high performance metrics. Here, eWEEK offers a number of different highlights of the Intel Developer Forum 2012, which was held at San Francisco's Moscone Center West. 

'X Factor': Will.i.am to Appear as Guest Mentor

We may not know who’s hosting the series, but one more notable name has been added to The X Factor roster.

Will.i.am, the multi-talented rapper, singer, producer, songwriter and philanthropist, will appear during the judges' homes portion of the series alongside Britney Spears, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

This will not be the first time Will.i.am has given his expertise to reality singing contestants. Earlier this year, the Black Eyed Peas frontman served as a coach on the U.K. version ofThe Voice. His contestant,Tyler James, was one of two runner-ups on the series.

THR recently caught up with Will.i.am at the Democractic National Convention, where he declined to speak about any of his current music-related projects. He did, however, have a lot to say about the government.

The X Factor debuted last night to softer ratings than its season one premiere, despite the addition of new judges Spears and Demi Lovato. Preliminary numbers showed the Fox series tying its direct competition, The Voice on NBC, averaging a 3.3 rating among adults 18-49 on Wednesday, a 25 percent drop from last year’s series premiere.

Last season, Enrique Iglesias, Pharrell Williams and Rihanna each pitched in as guest mentors, while previously scheduled Mariah Carey (who recently signed on as the newest American Idol judge) was unable to participate due to Hurricane Irene.  

The second part of the season two premiere airs 8 p.m. Thursday on Fox. A representative from the network had no comment on this story.

Cruise dismisses claims about women being auditioned to marry him

　　And reports suggest that Hollywood star Tom Cruise is furious with claims that Scientology officials auditioned dozens of young women for him to get hitched to before he married Katie Holmes. In a statement issued, Cruise's representative has rubbished the reports and said, "Lies in a different font are still lies — designed to sell magazines."
　　According to the claims of an international magazine though, the secretive religious group organised an audition process to search for a suitable wife for Cruise and met dozens of women to make sure they posed whatsoever no threat to the church or Cruise. And it has come out that his ex-wife Katie Holmes was not even in the running for the post — she was not the first choice of the church, who instead wanted Cruise to marry a young actress, who was already a Scientologist.
　　The shocking claims have been made by writer Maureen Orth in the October issue of same magazine, where she claims that the project to identify a new partner for Cruise started way back in 2004 and was headed by Shelly Miscavige, the wife of the church's top official David Miscavige.
　　A number of Scientologist actresses were screened and simply told that they were being considered for a role in a new training video. Holmes was nowhere a part of the process. Instead, Miscavige went ahead and chose Nazanin Boniadi, then 24, an Iranian-born actress who grew up in Britain, to be the star's new partner. It was only when Boniadi was suddenly flown to New York and taken for dinner by Cruise at a trendy restaurant, that she began to suspect of being a part of an elaborate set-up.
　　The pair even went ice-skating together, where the rink had been especially closed for them and then spent the night together. The actress, who has starred in General Hospital, How I Met Your Mother and Iron Man, was also made to sign confidentiality agreements about the whole affair.
　　It is said that Cruise fell for the young woman, who did not reciprocate his affection. Withing three months, Cruise allegedly got tired of his partner and Boniadi was asked to move out of his house and into the Scientology Celebrity Centre. Scientology officials have dismissed the story as vindictive and unreliable.

Jamie Bell Joins Pornographic Drama 'Nymphomaniac', Nicole Kidman Is Also Eyed

More actors have been tapped to join Shia LaBeouf in Lars von Trier's pornographic drama "The Nymphomaniac". Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, British actorJamie Bell has been sealed to star in the controversial project along with Danish actress Connie Nielsen. 

Details of Bell's and Nielsen's roles are yet to be confirmed. Both actors are set to join the likes ofCharlotte Gainsbourg and Stellan Skarsgard and will begin filming in Germany this Thursday, August 30 for an 11-week shoot. 

"Nymphomaniac" is the wild and poetic story of a woman's erotic journey from birth to the age of 50 as told by the main character, the self-diagnosed nymphomaniac, Joe (Gainsbourg). On a cold winter's evening the old, charming bachelor, Seligman (Skarsgard), finds Joe beaten up in an alleyway. 

He brings her home to his flat where he tends to her wounds while asking her about her life. He listens intently as Joe over the next 8 chapters recounts the lushly branched-out and multi faceted story of her life, rich in associations and interjecting incidents. 

Also joining the cast ensemble are European actors, such as Nicolas Bro, Jesper Christensen, Jens Albinus, Shanti Roney and Severin von Hoensbroech. It has been said that Nicole Kidman and Willem Dafoe are also courted to join the film, but the producers have yet to confirm the report. 

"Nymphomaniac" is planned to be filmed in two versions, one hard-core and one soft-core, which both will be released in 2013. The project sparked controversy as LaBeouf recently confirmed that the sex in the flick would be "real," though the producers clarified that the sex scenes would be performed "with the help of body doubles and visual effects."