According to Intego’s Mac Security Blog, scammers are going after Apple users, trying to get their billing information. It’s probably a hot time of year for these phishing attacks, since a lot of people probably got new Apple products for Christmas.

The attack started on Christmas day and have the subject line:

Apple update your Billing Information.

Of course, whenever you get an email asking you to update your billing information, it’s probably a fake. That’s not to say that this attack won’t be successful, with a lot of new Apple customers seeing the email. Apple only asks you to update your account billing in its store and on one of its devices when making a purchase.

This is what the rest of the email looks like:

The email looks legit enough at first glance, but the link that’s in it goes to a random site that isn’t owned by Apple:

This is a common phishing scam which seems obviously fake, but when you take the context and timing of Christmas into account, this attack can be quite successful at massive scale. Imagine your mom using a new MacBook and getting this email today, it might make perfect sense to her that Apple is reaching out, since she just got the new machine.

If you’ve gotten a new Apple product or know someone who did, beware of this scam and remember that your billing information should be guarded with your life.

Some shoppers are having a very frustrating holiday season, thanks to retailer Best Buy. Some of their gifts aren’t going to make it in time for Christmas, according to Moneyland.

In what can only be explained as a complete “Grinch” move, Best Buy has announced that there’s a good chance that those holidays orders you placed online won’t make it to the recipients in time for Christmas, three days before the holiday.

Oops.

Best Buy offered up this statement, as if it makes a difference to those affected:

Due to overwhelming demand of hot product offerings on BestBuy.com during the November and December time period, we have encountered a situation that has affected redemption of some of our customers’ online orders. We are very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused, and we have notified the affected customers.

Sorry for the inconvenience? Sorry my ass Best Buy, that’s not going to cut it. On top of that, the company isn’t sharing how many customers this screw-up touches.

Its customers aren’t buying it either, launching into the company on its forums:

…I am a VP in New York with a large global company and speak with stock analysts in the course of my work. I am not just a small town complainer who is used to being ignored. I may not be able to save Christmas for my family that Best Buy is trying to ruin but maybe I can make Christmas miserable for Best Buy too.

Yikes. This is a perfect example of why online shopping isn’t the end-all be-all. While it’s convenient to hop online and drag a few items into your basket, you have no guarantee that you’ll get the gifts in time. And it’s not just shipping issues, either. It seems like Best Buy happily accepted orders for items it pushed heavily on Black Friday and the days leading up to Christmas, but ran out of the items to fulfill the orders. Simple mistake, right? Not really, this customer says it took three weeks for Best Buy to let them know:

I ordered Games on 11/25 and 11/26 only to wait three weeks for them to tell me that they will not restock the item I purchased. It’s understandible (sic) if I was told initially that I would not recieve (sic) my products purchased, but to wait three weeks to be just written off is just poor customer service.

Ok, ok, surely a huge company like Best Buy will offer something in return for all of these people’s headaches. Right? Wrong. Here’s a response from an extremely not-so-helpful member of the “Best Buy Social Media Team”, Brandon:

I agree with you, this is not the best example of customer service. This holiday season presented us with a high volume of orders that had some effect on our systems. It is not fair to you what happened, so I apologize about the error.

In the future, feel free to reach out to us here if you are having issues with an order and we can look into it for you. I hope this experience doesn’t cause you TOO much stress over your holiday season :smileywink:

This is why online ordering gets a bad name, and the slight inconvenience of walking into a store, picking out your items, and shipping them yourself might be the way to go next year.

All online shopping isn’t bad though, rarely do you hear horror stories like this about Amazon. Take some notes Best Buy, or you won’t have any customers for the holidays next year. At least not ones online.

‘Tis the season to be merry, and all of that other stuff. Eggnog and misletoe aren’t the only holiday staples, ugly Christmas sweaters are too. You know the ones. They’re usually sweaters that your mom picks out at Target, thinking it’s simply too festive to pass up. You wear it because you don’t want to hurt her feelings.

If you’re stuck with an ugly holiday sweater, then all of your gadgets should be too, if you ask Virgin.

The company launched a cute promo site called “Warm Your Devices” just in time for the holidays, and it provides you with backgrounds fit for any smartphone or gadget that you carry around.

If only I could get out of wearing my ugly sweater and let my Android phone suffer all of the embarrassment.

➤ Warm Your Devices

Magic Santa for iOS will ask you a series of questions about someone you know, and then create a three-minute long video starring a real-life Santa Claus.

It’s kind of creepy, yet cool at the same time. The more information you fill out about the recipient, the longer the video will be. At times, Santa even comes off as kind of snarky.

This will be fun to send to your young kids or little ones in the family, since they’ll think that Santa is really talking directly to them. Which of course he is, and not only is Santa Claus real, he makes three-minute long videos for every boy and girl in the world.

The app is free, and provides a different video for each combination of answers that you give it.

Santa is at your service

The app is simple enough to use, just give it information about the recipient, like where they live and whether they’ve been naughty or nice. You can even include a photo that will be used in the video.

Once you fill out all of the information, the video only takes a minute or so to process. It’s pretty smart technology, even properly pronouncing the recipient’s name correctly if it’s a common one. Since Santa has a huge beard and you can’t see his lips move, the trick comes off nicely.

Why send an e-card or phone call from Santa himself, when you can send an entire video? The video that you created can be tweeted or published to Facebook if you’d like to embarrass the person publicly, or you can just email it to them.

Watch the video I sent to myself here, and be delightfully horrified as Santa spouts off about how I’m too old to write letters to him.

➤ Magic Santa

Thanks to the Internet, I’ve found this handy video titled “How to Wrap the Perfect Gift”. It’s extremely thorough and requires your full attention, but afterwards you’ll be a pro.

Happy Holidays from The Next Web, and we accept gifts in the form of news tips, so email us! No wrapping required.

Happy Holidays!

Enjoy, and Happy Holidays punk style from The Next Web.

People always tend to find a more powerful and meaningful way to use technology than it was originally intended for. Microsoft has noticed that its Xbox Kinect systems were becoming popular among those in the military, and their families back home.

The Kinect is a perfect system not only for fun, but for real-time video communication. Microsoft has decided to donate 380 Xbox Kinect sytems to military bases, partnering up with the USO.

The systems will be available for use by families living in military bases to connect with their loved ones overseas. It’s an amazing usage for a system that was released as a gaming device.

Xbox Kinect can save lives

Interestingly, the Xbox Kinect has been used by doctors to determine when troops with concussions can serve again. The system has also been used to review x-rays of broken bones and other injuries.

Here’s what Microsoft had to say about the program in a blog post by Curt Kolcun, V.P., Microsoft U.S. Public Sector:

What’s more, U.S. soldiers are starting to see the benefits of the explosion of creativity we’ve seen since releasing the Kinect Software Development Kit. Four Wounded Warrior Facilities in Afghanistan will use Kinect in rehabilitative programs in forward bases where medical equipment is scarce. New Kinect applications will help medical staff determine when troops who have suffered from brain injuries, such as concussions, are able to go back into the field. The USO will work with the local groups to develop an analysis of the results from using Kinect as a tool for cognitive and memory reinforcement.

This cool video shows how Kinect is moving from simply a game interface to a means to improve lives through expanded capabilities in medicine and other disciplines. The two most relevant clips are at :33, where a surgeon reviews different x-rays with the wave of a still-gloved (and sterile) hand, without leaving the operating room; and :48, where a kid plays a game as part of physical therapy.

Who would have thought that a gaming device could do so much to help our men and women overseas?

It’s the time for giving, and fanboys and girls are clamoring for the hottest geeky gifts. While most of the ones that you know probably have every piece of software or hardware the companies below offer, they probably don’t have these items that show off the fact that they can’t get enough of one particular company or product.

If you’re not sure what a “fanboy” is, it’s the person in your life that stands outside in the rain or snow to be one of the first to get Apple’s new iWhatever.

They’re dedicated, they’re special, and they have needs too. Here are five gifts that are guaranteed to win you a special place in their heart.

For Google Android fans

This has to be the coolest item that Google offers for those who are Android fans and users. This squishy Droid toy is made out of 95% recycled corn and bottles. Not only is it fun, but it’s very earth concscious. Oh, those hippy dippy Googlers!

Act fast though, the store says that there’s only 22 left! They’ll run you $32.85.

For the Apple fan

Any self-respecting Apple fanboy or girl has a MacBook, and you probably witness them on it for a good percentage of their day. Apple laptops are an extension of us geeks, so why not class up the joint a bit with this amazing MacBook cover called “BookBook” from Twelve South?

The case looks like a hardbound leather book, and it will only run you between $79 and $99, depending on the size of the MacBook.

XBox fans, rejoice!

If you know someone who can’t get away from their XBox, this adapter for their controller, called “The Avenger”, will make them the happiest gaming geek you’ve ever met.

Not only does the thing make a gamer’s controller look like a spider from outerspace, its customizable levers and tension straps will turn them into a force to be reckoned with on XBox Live.

It will cost you $49.99, a small price to pay to make a gamer smile.

I’m Mayor, Bitch

Yes, if you have a friend that can’t stop checking in using foursquare, this is the only gift they’ll need. It’s the “Mayor” t-shirt from foursquare, and nothing shows a pro users geekiness like the mayor logo.

It’s only $20 bucks, so snap one up before they buy it for themselves.

Microsoft users have an edge, too

The only thing Microsoft fanboys and girls hate more than Apple, is people who can’t stop talking about Apple. This t-shirt is not only geeky, but will shut any Apple geek up. If you want to surprise that special Microsoft fan with something, this “Mac can suck my balls” shirt is the thing to get.

It’s only $28 bucks, complete with full-on ‘Back to the Future’ reference.

So there you have it, some very unique gifts that the special fanboy or girl might not be expecting from you this holiday season. They’re probably not expecting anything, since all they can do is think about their favorite company, and the next product they’re releasing.

If you’re traveling during the holidays, perhaps New York City is one of your destinations. Sporting some of the greatest holiday displays, the city is the premiere shopping mecca of the east coast.

Simply put, if you can’t get into the holiday spirit while in New York City, you’re a grinch.

Popular travel guide company Lonely Planet has decided to make its guide to NYC free for three days. Along with the free guide, Lonely Planet has released a list of “Dos and Don’ts” when visiting New York City during the holiday season.

The guide

Lonely Planet’s iOS app is brilliantly designed, which we have come to expect, since its books are among the most popular travel guides around. The app itself is free, but the company charges for guides in-app.

The NYC guide is usually $5.99, and is one of Lonely Planet’s most popular guides. You can grab it for free now until December 15th.

The guide itself is a pretty massive download coming in at 45mb, but is jam-packed with pictures, maps, and text for offline viewing. It even takes a minute or two to install, so you know that you’re going to be covered during your east coast visit. With over 1300 maps alone, this is an absolute complete guide to NYC.

Considering that at some point in your lifetime you might visit NYC, the free guide is well worth the download.

The tips

Robert Reid, Lonely Planet’s NYC Travel Editor, has put together some “Dos and Don’ts” for while you’re visiting his fair city. You can view all of them here, but I found this particular one to be helpful:

DO window-shop. Boutiques and department stores across the city dress up for the season.

DON’T stick with hipster downtown. Midtown simply does it better. Have a walk up Fifth Avenue from Rockefeller Center, to FAO, and detour to Madison to see the modern, funny antics of Barney’s on Madison Ave and 62nd St.

It’s true, all of the glorious shopping experiences happen in Midtown, and if you’ve never been to NYC before, this is an absolute must.

Happy Holidays, and be safe during your travels!

➤ Lonely Planet for iOS