General
Samsung Note 7 to come bundled with McAfee security
Itell Security (formerly McAfee) announced that the Samsung Note 7 will come bundled with McAfee VirusScan mobile security. The press release claims "Samsung customers can enjoy better protection from more diverse and sophisticated threats in mobile world." Truth be told, I do not advocate using an antivirus on Android smartphones but you have to ensure you don't break any of the built in security features (like side loading apps). To me, this looks like the kind of bundling cash grab we see in the PC space (manufacturers get $1-$5 to bundle an app in the base image helping make the device a bit more profitable).
Review of JLAB Epic 2 bluetooth sport headphones
Introduction We are a couple of weeks away (probably) from the announcement of the next iPhone and rumors are swirling about the headphone jack being ejected. This means you will have to buy Lightning port headphones or Bluetooth (my vote is Bluetooth for everyday use). Who wants wired headphones that get tangled and caught on things? What attracted me to the JLAB Epic 2 was the promise of 12 hour battery life and a secure fit. Until this review, the most secure fitting headphones I have ever tried are the Jaybird ones (Sprint and X2).
Google Photos Video Ad shows the Issue of Running our of Space
This isn't a news worthy item but it does visually show the struggle many iPhone users face daily while running out of space.
Review of Sugar Mobile Canadian cell phone provider
As a Canadian, I wish we had more mobile phone competition to fuel innovation and drive down prices. Starting a new cell phone provider is expensive. You need licenses, towers and lots of equipment & people. Sugar Mobile is a Canadian mobile phone competitor that wants to use VOIP technology to "disrupt the mobile marketplace". Sugar Mobile leverages the VOIP infrastructure of its parent company Iristel and the cell phone roaming agreements of sister company Ice Wireless. The claim to fame is unlimited North American VOIP calling for $19 a month (which includes 200MB a month of 3G data anywhere in North America).
Why use Facebook over the TOR secure network
When people think about the TOR network, they either think its a means for criminals to buy illicit products or for fugitives trying to hide their online activities from the law. Tor is much more than that. It is a mechanism to protect your online activities when needed. Sitting at home, my packets bounce through dozens of different routers before they arrive at their final destination. I just performed a traceroute and had 11 hops between my computer and the Facebook site.
Hey Siri Cheat Sheet
All digital assistants are complicated creatures that force you to learn a new query language. Siri is no exception. It can do a mind numbing number of activities. How do you remember everything it can accomplish? A new site called Hey-Siri.io currently lists over 480 different commands with all of the different variations and permutations available neatly bundled in 35 categories. You can filter results with IOS or MAC and English or German. So far it looks like the site author will maintain the site as Apple adds new abilities to Siri.
Microsoft PIX is an AI powered free IOS Camera App
You can download Microsoft PIX from the Apple app store now for free. The claim to fame (according to Microsoft) is that it uses artificial intelligence to take the best possible shot every time without forcing the user to fiddle with any settings. This computer voodoo is possible because the app takes 10 pictures every time you press the shutter button. Some right before you pressed the button and some right after. It uses data from every shot to build the best possible image (Apple's default app also does this very same thing but it seems Microsoft is pushing the technology a little bit more).
Stop using Self-Assessments in performance reviews
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1600”]Image by David Davies used under Creative Commons License [/caption] Research has shown that people can rarely self-assessment accurately. If the person self-assessing has low self-confidence, than this will be reflected on his/her self assessment. Also there are cultures where self promotion is negatively viewed and this too may lead someone to completing a less than positive self review. Lots of characteristics may impact how one self-assesses: race, gender, beliefs, religion, etc. On the other side of the coin are individuals raised in competitive environments where self-promotion is not only welcome but encouraged.
Google deploying SPAM call protection to some Nexus devices
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1024”]Nexus One image by closari used under Creative Commons License [/caption] Google's quest to squash SPAM isn't stopping with email. The sultan of search is now pushing an update to some Nexus and Google One devices to warn users when they receive a potentially SPAM call. The feature allows you to block the number or report it. TheUse caller ID & spam protection will be turned on by default. The feature was launched with a post on the Nexus Google+ forum.
Company tests Drone delivery in Canada
As a Canadian, I read about cool new services available to our American friends with envy. Some eventually make their way north but many do not. When I read about Amazon testing its drone delivery service in the US, I was jealous. The thought of ordering a product and not having to wait 2-3 days is incredibly enticing and would dramatically change the way I shop. Imagine my excitement when I heard about a Toronto based company called Drone Delivery Canada that reportedly conducted a success test of its drone delivery service.
Artificial Intelligence will power the future
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“4818”]Image by Tristan Schmurr used under creative commons license [/caption] The world is about to get smarter Ask what artificial intelligence is to someone walking down the street and you will likely hear common names like Cortana, Google now and Siri. Truth is these are not the artificial intelligence systems of the future, they are mere parlour tricks. How many times have you tried to use Siri, got frustrated and just gave up? Future AI will be in the cloud During Apple’s latest keynote speech, they made a big deal about performing “more intelligent” functions directly on your device.
Pokemon Go players targeted in robbery & police issue safety tips
Pokemon Go is an incredible phenomenon encouraging people to get outside, walk and socialize. For all its faults, it has tones of positive attributes. The challenge (and what keeps the game interesting), is the fact you never know where Pokemon are going to pop up. Here is the stampede that ensued when a rare Vaporeon Pokemon showed up in central park. Notice the guy that just leaves his car in the middle of the road and rushes in. While its a great game, many get too enthralled in the game and forget to stay alert and aware of their surroundings.
Review of The Grayl water purifier and filter
The problem As a "light prepper", lover of camping and traveler, I have been looking for the ultimate water filter/canteen/bottle for years. I have tried over 50 different solutions over the last 10 years and although some did better than others, most left me wanting more. Most of my readers are young professionals so here is the scenario for you. You just finished a long day while travelling and finally came back to your hotel room. All the shops nearby are closed and you want some fresh clean water.
LinkNYC is the ultimate phonebooth replacement for modern cities and I want it
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“3586”]Image by Edward Blak used under creative commons license [/caption] See that sleek advertising billboard? It's actually a modern day replacement for the 1960's telephone booth. Meet LinkNYC. Each big beautiful device delivers 1 gigabit of glorious WIFI(serving hundreds of WIFI users simultaneously). To deliver this much high speed goodness, CityBridge is laying thousands of miles of fiber-optic cable). Since it is replacing the old style phone-booth's it's only fitting that the LinkNYC station also allow anyone to make free unlimited calls to anywhere in the US thanks to a deal with Vonage.
iCloud attack was really a phishing
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“4000”]Image by Christiaan Cole used under Creative Commons License [/caption] Remember the "iCcloud hacking" where celebrity photos were stolen and published? Well the man behind it (aka Celebgate) was convicted of accessing more than 300 iCloud and Gmail accounts (30 of which belonged to real legitimate celebrities). You can read the district attorney brief if interested. Now this is the story that wasn't... While most media outlets were shocked that Apple would allow hackers to "break into" iCloud accounts and steal pictures, it turns out, Apple couldn't have done much.
Infinity Blade for IOS Free for 4th of July
I don't normally post about games on my blog but a game I really enjoy is free today on the iTunes AppStore for IOS devices. Not 1 but all 3 games in the series are free today so download them fast: Infinity Blade I Infinity Blade II Infinity Blade III Great way to spend some time unwinding with a good game.
Sawyer Mini water filter review
We assume most North Americans just drink the clean municipal tap water available freely everywhere. Then you learn that 50 billion water bottles were consumed last year in the US alone. So obviously some people have concerns about the quality of their water, You add to this travellers, campers and preppers. Regardless of why you want clean water, there are hundreds of options. Over the last 10 years, I have tested several dozen and have spoken to scientists & survival experts about their preferences.
Discussion with Roujeh Ramadan, CEO of Chill Telecom
There has been a lot of discussions about Chill Telecom and it’s young founder (Roujeh Ramadan). And much of the rhetoric has been negative some verging on distasteful. Wanted to present a fair and balanced view, I reached out to Mr Ramadan (who was in Israel) and had a pleasant conversation. Too young to lead a company Like many observers, I noticed that his Facebook page indicates he is 20 years old and he confirmed that he was 19. He explained that he started working for a large multinational internet company at the age of 16 (in Israel) then moved to the UK at 17 to join a major engineering organization.
Canadian wireless provider offering unlimited everything?
There have been countless reports stating the obvious: Wireless rates in Canada are absurdly high due to lack of competition. So anytime I hear the whisper of a new competitor I get excited. Chill Telecom (and its very childishly cheap looking web page) promise to save Canadians from the giant telecom tyrants. Chill Telecom seems to be a Telus MVNO (reseller of Telus network services) making some lofty claims. So I started looking at basic information about the company.
Hacker eavesdropes on Quebec Liberal Party Meetings
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“977”]Photo from Journal de Montréal [/caption] A local Quebec french language newspaper (Journal De Montréal) has an interesting report about a hacker exploiting a critical flaw in the PLQ (Quebec Liberal Party) video conferencing system allowing him to eavesdrop on private strategy discussions. Lucky for the PLQ, the hacker is a white-hat (good guy) and informed employees of the flaw. He also proved his exploit by sharing videos taken from the private discussions. A black-hat could have exploited this information for personal gain or to make a political statement.