2013
Nexus 5 may come with a Nikon branded camera
The Samsung Galaxy SIV seems like a solid well designed smartphone but most pundits were underwhelmed and expected much more innovation. Now that the Galaxy SIV is out of the way, we can concentrate on other rumored upcoming devices like the Nexus 5. Phonearena is now reporting that the Google Nexus 5 will come with a “triple camera sensor thing” designed (and branded) by Nikon. The same source told Phonearena that this camera will be the major selling point of the next version of the Nexus device.
Samsung Galaxy SIV coming to Canada in Q2
The minute last week’s Samsung Galaxy SIV announcement finished, Canadians started asking carriers when it would come to the great white Canadian north. Unofficial discussions with reps from Samsung, Rogers, Fido and Telus indicate that it will hit the streets of Toronto (and Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, etc) by the end of Q2. It seems the phone will come to Rogers, Bell, Telus and their sub-brands (Fido, Koodo, Virgin Mobile).
Which processor will the Samsung Galaxy SIV have
Now that the Samsung Galaxy SIV launch is behind us, many are wondering which version (processor) will come to North America. If you were hoping to bathe in the warmth of the Samsung Exynos 5 octa then you will be really disappointed. The quad-core processor that will power the North American Samsung Galaxy SIV is fast but many are disappointed. There are many reasons why Samsung may have chosen to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 which may include North American LTE built the chip, good battery usage, good thermal design, etc.
Enable 2-factor authentication for Google services
Related Article: How To Secure Your Online Accounts How to enable 2-factor authentication for Google Sign into your Google account Click the arrow next to your name Choose Account Select Security Click settings listed under 2-step verification You have to start the setup process. You are then asked to supply a telephone number where an authentication code will be sent when you login from an “untrusted computer or device”. A code then arrived that you have to enter when Google login detects something strange.
How to secure your online accounts
What is 2-factor authentication? One of the most common ways to hijack your online accounts is to steal your passwords. The way to prevent this type of issue is to use a technique called 2-factor authentication. The 2 factors are: Something you know : your password which is still used Something you have : a one-time use password that is generated on demand that proves you are in possession of something physical. You use 2-factor authentication everytime you use your bank’s automated banking machine.
Tweeting from the grave will soon be possible
Twitter is one of those services that users love and the general public just doesn’t understand. Now a startup will enable you to tweet from the grave. The LivesOn service is being developed by a British ad agency called Lean Mean Fighting Machine. They setup a new twitter account with your existing twitter handle and add a “_liveson” at the end. For my twitter handle is ekiledjian and my LivesOn ID would be ekiledjian_livesone. The system is in closed limited beta and is still in active development but the company claims it will learn about the user (while alive of course) by studying tweet patterns, writing style, preferred content, re-tweet strategy ,etc.
Google News now in tablet flavour
I browsed to Google News and saw this: I clicked on the Learn More link and found an interesting Google Blog post. The crux of the optimizations are: You can find new articles, news sources, and even topics of interest with intuitive gestures. Swipe horizontally between sections – from Business to Entertainment, for example – or tap “Explore in depth” to see multiple articles and other info related to a particular story. We’ve also added more breathing room between articles, making it easier to spot the stories you really care about.
Does Daylight Saving Time reduce energy consumption
We switched to Daylight Saving Time (Summer Time in Europe) this past weekend and most of us are still groggy and missing that 1 extra hour of sleep. DST was first proposed by George Vernon Hudson and implemented during WWI. It was thought that by shifting people’s awake time by one hour, there would be more light in the evening this reducing the need for artificial light (aka reduce usage of electricity in the evening). Many have wondered if there is really any benefit to this sleep-reducing tradition and recent information says no.
Pictures of the Samsung Galaxy SIV?
We are 3 days away from the launch of the Samsung Galaxy SIV in New York’s Time Square and the rumors surrounding the device have reached a feverish pitch. Now a Chinese site has published pictures claiming to be the Samsun Galaxy SIV. We know Samsung takes confidentiality seriously and this may simply be a Galaxy SIV with a Halloween costume or may even be a decoy unit meant to take potential leakers off track. Coming from China, it may even be a knock off device made by a local manufacturer.
Baidu Antivirus Pro free
Baidu is China’s response to Google and they have just launched a free antivirus solution called Baidu Antivirus 2013. In my tests, it was light, easy to use and fast anti-virus. They promise to protect you from malware, viruses, spyware and adware. I tested it against some more common malicious code and it seems to catch and clean the system. Although we haven’t seen any independent tests yet, I expect them to be as good or better than many of the traditional free products but not as good as the stronger for pay products.
Get free home high speed internet in the USA
Canadian carriers are notorious for overcharging customers for mobile or home internet services, so we are jealous of all the competition and competitive pricing our US friends have access to. There is a neat little company (in the US) called FreedomPop that has launched a new home internet service which offers free internet services. You can buy the special 4G router for $89 (plus $8.99S&H) and then use it with FreedomPop’s free internet service. The free plan gives you 1GB of data a month with 1.
CWTA launches their Protect your data campaign
The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association and the major Canadian carriers are joining forces to stop mobile device theft in Canada. By the end of September 2013, they will implement a new device verification process to ensure the device being activated hasn’t been declared lost or stolen. The purpose is to eliminate the secondary market for stolen devices making theft less attractive. In preparation of this initiative, the CWTA has launched a special protectyourdata website to help consummers. Le CWTA rend disponible un site web spécial qui aide les consommateurs à protéger leur appareil mobile et l'information contenue dans ces appareils.
Canada wants to make changing the IMEI illegal
A member of parliament representing the NDP (a major Canadian political party) has submitted a bill making tampering of a devices IMEI illegal. The IMEI is a unique serial number embedded in all GSM devices that allows the network to uniquely identify it. Carriers can use this to pair a device with a user or to prevent a stolen device from being activated on someone else’s account. Read the NDP press release here “Cell phone theft is primarily a crime of opportunity, because any stolen mobile device can easily be reactivated with a different carrier,” said Sullivan.
Office 2013 can now be legally transferred
Microsoft created a huge uproar when it notified customers that the new Office 2013 license is tied to a PC. This meant that when you upgrade or replace the PC, you would lose you expensive Microsoft Office 2013 license. Now we find out that Microsoft has hear customer complaints and is reversing course. They have just announced on their blog that they are updating the license policy to allow users to transfer Office 2013 licenses to a new PC. The change is valid immediately and the EULA will be changed to reflect this in the future.
Review of Canadian ISP ElectronicBox.net
Until last week, I had been a long time Bell Internet customer. My journey started with their overpriced & underperforming ADSL service and ended with their Fibe 15 Fiber Optic to the house internet service. I had stayed with Bell all these years because it was easier than moving to another provider but I was tired of being overcharged and underserved. Their helpless desk seem to be staffed with unqualified agents and their customer retention team loves to give a “take it or leave it offer”.
iPhone 5s to have a finger print scanner
Since we’re talking about iPhone 5s rumors, I wanted to share with you the predictions made by Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with KGI research. He predicts that the iPhone 5s will be released in June and that Apple will maintain its 2 year hardware redesign strategy (aka which means the iPhone 5s is expected to look like the iPhone 5). He also claims that a lower cost iPhone 5 will also be released this year so Apple can penetrate the developing economies.
Humble Bundle for Android now live - Super cheap games
The Humble Bundle is a fantastic way to get great indie games for an unbelievably cheap price (aka donationware). Donationware means you can pay what you want. The current bundle (version #5) comes with 4 games (3 of which are new to Android): Beat Hazard Ultra Dynamite Jack Solar 2 NighSky HD If you donate more than the average, you also get: Dungeon Defenders Super Hexagon
Saudi Aramco Twitter account hacked
Due to recent attacks again Twitter and high profile Twitter users, Twitter has started implementing new security measured. Now we learn that the official account of Saudi Aramco (the world’s largest oil producer) was hacked by “Mister Rero”. Saudi Aramco is no stranger to infosec issues and had 30,000 workstations hacked last year. Don’t forget other twitter accounts were also recently hacked from Burger King, Jeep, etc.
Fido and Rogers implement new unlocking policy end of March
I wrote about the new unlocking policies for Rogers and Fido a couple of weeks ago and it seem the start of this new policy is almost upon us. In a tweet from FIDO, I was notified the policy would start end of March. For those unfamiliar with the new policy, the 2 carriers will unlock any customer device for $50 after a device has been active for at least 90 days (as long as the customer’s account is in good standing).
Dramatically improve the iPhone 5's WIFI performance
As a business traveler, I seek out WIFI hotspots where I can but am often disappointed by the actual performance. WIFI performance is highly dependent on the strength of the signal and often the entire WIFI for a location is dependent on one lonely router in a cupboard somewhere. Imagine my excitement when I learned about a cool new case called Linkcase from Absolute Technology. It is a case for your iPhone 5 that has a built in Electromagnetic Waveguide antenna.