A new concept for an improved iPhone camera system would allow users to reconfigure or even replace the lens for optimal pictures.

The details of Apple's proposed invention were revealed in a new patent filing discovered by AppleInsider and published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday. The application, entitled "Back Panel for a Portable Electronic Device with Different Camera Lens Options," includes illustrations of an iPhone-like device with the camera located in the same top-left-corner location.

The filing notes that as the quality of digital images taken with highly compact devices increases, users seek even more sophisticated features typically only found with high-end digital cameras, such as digital single reflex (DSLR) cameras. Features such as supplementary lenses and filters, optical zoom, and optical image stabilization are not typically found in multifunction devices that include a camera.

Devices like the iPhone currently come with a pre-assembled digital imaging subsystem that allows them to be highly compact, but does not allow for replaceable lenses. In addition, they do not include a mount for filters or additional lenses.

"It would be desirable to provide a structure for a compact device that allows the end user to reconfigure the optical arrangement of the device while retaining the benefits of assembling the device using a pre-assembled digital imaging subsystem," the filing reads.

Apple's solution is a portable device, like an iPhone, that includes a digital imaging subsystem with a lens that has an optical axis. The device would feature a removable back panel that, when removed, would expose the digital imaging subsystem.

Both the digital imaging subsystem and the removable panel would be held in precise alignment by the iPhone case, which would negate the need for a direct connection between the camera's optical component and the subsystem. This would allow the user to reconfigure the optics of the camera on a highly compact portable device.

Normally, an iPhone camera system would include a near-infrared cut filter to prevent infrared light from reaching the image sensor and distorting the colors of a picture. Apple's system would include the IR-cut filter on the removable panel, which would allow photographers to remove it and capture black-and-white images at very low light levels.

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook has agreed to pay $10 million to charity to settle a lawsuit that accused the site of violating users' rights to control the use of their own names, photographs and likenesses, according to court documents made public over the weekend.

The lawsuit, brought by five Facebook members, alleged the social networking site violated California law by publicizing users' "likes" of certain advertisers on its "Sponsored Stories" feature without paying them or giving them a way to opt out, the documents said.

A " Sponsored Story" is an advertisement that appears on a member's Facebook page and generally consists of another friend's name, profile picture and an assertion that the person "likes" the advertiser.

The settlement was reached last month but made public this weekend. Facebook declined to comment on Saturday.

The proposed class-action lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Jose, California, could have included nearly one of every three Americans, with billions of dollars in damages, according to previous court documents.

In the lawsuit, Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg was quoted as saying that a trusted referral was the "Holy Grail" of advertising.

In addition, the lawsuit cited comments from Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, saying that the value of a "Sponsored Story" advertisement was at least twice and up to three times the value of a standard Facebook.com ad without a friend endorsement.

US District Judge Lucy Koh said the plaintiffs had shown economic injury could occur through Facebook's use of their names, photographs and likenesses.

"California has long recognized a right to protect one's name and likeness against appropriation by others for their advantage," Koh wrote.

The settlement arrangement is known as a cy-pres settlement, meaning the settlement funds can go to charity.

The case in US District Court, Northern District of California is Angel Fraley et al., individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated vs Facebook, 11-cv-1726. 

 NEW DELHI: With their numbers increasing rapidly, smartphones are becoming more vulnerable to attacks by cybercriminals looking for prey beyond the PC and targetting mobiles, especially those using Android operating system, say experts.

"The major mobile platforms have finally become ubiquitous enough to garner the attention of attackers, and as such, Symantec expects attacks on these platforms to increase," Symantec Managing Director, Sales, India and SAARC, Anand Naik said.

Expressing similar views, McAfee Labs Product Manger Vinoo Thomas said, "With smartphones becoming more powerful and popular, we have seen a lot threat moving to them from PCs."

Although the risks to computers have not totally subsided, malicious software authors are now creating mobile- specific malware.

"The number of vulnerabilities in the mobile space are rising and malware authors not only reinventing existing malware for mobile devices, but creating mobile-specific malware geared to the unique mobile opportunities," Naik said.

Threats that mobile malware pose include, sending premium-rate SMSes, collecting device data, spying on the users, tracking location of the device, modifying the settings, sending spam, monitoring the device for banking transactions and so on.

As tablets and smartphones continue to outsell PCs, and workers bringing in their own devices into the corporate environment, attacks on these platforms will keep increasing at a very fast pace.

According to Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report XVII, attackers are exploring a shift in focus toward mobile devices and mobile vulnerabilities increased by 93 per cent last year.

Majority for these threats are targetted at Google's Android operating system.

"In our Global Threats Report for the first quarter of 2012, we saw a large increase in mobile malware. The jump was targeted almost solely at the Android platform.

"Hundreds of Android threats in the middle of 2011 have moved into the thousands this year. Android threats now reach almost 7,000, with more than 8,000 total mobile malware samples in our database," Thomas said.