Quick Tips The Week in Technology

The Week in Technology

Last week, a group of hackers gained access to email accounts belonging to 114,000 iPad users, including some high-profile users such as Mike Bloomberg and Janet Robinson. The FBI even opened an investigation into AT&T and the security breach to determine if there was any wrong doing. The cellular carrier stated this week that it plans to work through legal channels to prosecute those hackers who located a vulnerability in the AT&T website allowing unrestricted access into iPad users' email accounts. The vulnerability has since been corrected.  Over the weekend, AT&T emailed those customers affected by the security breach to apologize for the incident.  "We will cooperate with law enforcement in any investiation of unauthorized system access and to prosecute violators to the fullest extent of the law", stated AT&T's Chief Privacy Officer Dorothy Attwood in the email sent to those customers who were affected.

Last Thursday, Police in Gilbert, Arizona arrested two men who posted a Craigslist ad attempting to trade their 32GB iPod Touch and an amount of marijuana for a new Apple iPad. Adding to an easier to win court case for the District Attorney, the two men even added a picture of their marijuana and the 32GB iPod Touch to their listing.  After receiving an anonymous tip, police officers responded to the Craigslist ad and met the two men.  Arrests were made once men traded the marijuana for an iPad.  Both men were arrested for possession of an illegal substance and conspiracy to sell marijuana.

According to The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News, The Federal Trade Commissions will be opening an investigation into whether Apple is illegally using its Apple Store to harm competitors.  Last month, Apple enacted rules which prohibit certain development tools from being used to develop and release applications for Apple's iPhone and iPad devices. Apple has blocked several mobile ad network apps from becoming included in the Apple App Store, as the company released their own mobile advertising platform for the new iPhone 4. The FTC believes that Apple may be creating some rules regarding their Apple App Store to prevent competitors from releasing mobile applications similar to Apple's own mobile applications.


How to Capture Screenshots in Windows Media Player

If you've ever tried to grab a screen shot of a video playing in your Windows Media Player, you've probably run across the same problem that affects many users: you don't get a frame of video at all; you only get a black square when you paste what you thought you captured into your photo software.

There are commercial software packages available that will allow you to get the frame of video you're looking for, but there are a couple of easy hacks in Media Player that will accomplish the same thing, at no cost at all. Why spend money on software when a couple of tweaks to your settings will accomplish your objective for nothing?

There are actually a couple of different ways to do this: I'll explain both. You can choose either one.

Option 1: Overlays

Inside Windows Media Player, click Tools and then Options.

Choose the "performance" tab.

Click "Advanced" at the bottom of the tab (near "Video Acceleration.")

In this new window that opens up, remove the checkmark next to "Use Overlays."

Done! That's all you have to do.

Pressing the "print screen" key (for your entire desktop) or alt-"print screen" (for just the contents of the Media Player window) will now include the video frame you expect to see.

Option 2: Disable Video Acceleration

Instead of removing "overlays," the same thing can be accomplished by removing video acceleration.

The steps are very similar to those for removing overlays:

In Windows Media Player, click "Tools" and then "Options."

Select "performance" (tab at the top).

Under "Video Acceleration" (bottom) you'll find a slider. It's probably all the way to the right (at "Full.") Slide it all the way to the left (to "none.")

You're done! You can now capture still frames of video from Windows Media Player -- or screen shots of your entire desktop with the video in the player like you expect!