Facebook Announces Increased Privacy Protection
http://bit.ly/nPEZaG
Ensure your vital information is secure- Visit GeeksOnCall.com now!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Facebook Announces Increased Privacy Protection
thenewamerican.com - 8/30/2011
Raven Clabough
In the wake of criticism over privacy issues on Facebook, the social network has responded by indicating it will make significant changes to its site in order to protect individual privacy. In fact, Facebook officials went so far as to pay hackers -- whom they call "independent researchers" -- $40,000 to find holes in the site's security system to assure that they have addressed all issues.
According to Facebook's chief security officer, Joe Sullivan, the social network has launched a "Bounty Bug Program" in order to discover any flaws in the system's software due to "software complexity, programming errors, changes in requirements, errors in bug tracking, limited documentation or bugs in software development tools." Facebook posted the following explanation of the program:
Because bug reports are often complicated and can involve complex legal issues, we chose our words carefully when announcing the program. Perhaps because of this, there have been several inaccurate reports about how the program works. For example, some stories said that the maximum payment would be $500, when in fact that is the minimum amount we will pay. In fact, we've already paid a $5,000 bounty for one really good report. On the other end of the spectrum, we've had to deal with bogus reports from people who were just looking for publicity.
At the end of the day, we feel great knowing that we've launched another strong effort to help provide a secure experience on Facebook. A bug bounty program is a great way to engage with the security research community, and an even better way to improve security across a complex technological environment. Facebook truly does have the world's best neighborhood watch program, and this program has proven that yet again for us.
Facebook has faced harsh scrutiny recently because of its use of facial recognition technology and the fact that phone numbers from members' contact lists are available for view.
Facebook first denied the presence of privacy issues on its site, but eventually caved in to users' demands. Last week, the social network announced in a blog entitled "Making it Easier to Share With Who You Want" that it would improve privacy:
Today we're announcing a bunch of improvements that make it easier to share posts, photos, tags and other content with exactly the people you want. You have told us that "who can see this?" could be clearer across Facebook, so we have made changes to make this more visual and straightforward.
Plus there are several other updates here that will make it easier to understand who can see your stuff (or your friends') in any context.
One of the changes made by Facebook's administrators is a new inline menu that shows who can see certain parts of a member's profile, which can be changed with a simple click. Likewise, Facebook users may also confirm or reject photos or posts in which they have been tagged, and may even reject or confirm those who have attempted to tag them.
Likewise, the site has now added a feature allowing members to view their profiles as others see it, so that they may know exactly what is visible to other members. It has also added new controls which permit users to specify who may see each post, picture, etc.
According to PC World, Facebook is not the only company which has hired hackers: Google and Mozilla have as well. The Blaze writes that Google officials have such confidence in its security that they offered hackers $20,000 to find any bugs.
Facebook notes that the program has been a success thus far. In a post about the new privacy efforts, the company said, "We know and have relationships with a large number of security experts, but this program has kicked off dialogue with a whole new and ever expanding set of people across the globe in over 16 countries, from Turkey to Poland who are passionate about Internet security."
Facebook contends, however, that while it is interested in protecting the privacy of its users, it will not be able to extend its bug bounty program to all those Facebook applications written by third parties, as such an endeavor is "not practical."
Ensure your vital information is secure- Visit GeeksOnCall.com now!
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware, music, the cloud, Facebook, security...
Raven Clabough
In the wake of criticism over privacy issues on Facebook, the social network has responded by indicating it will make significant changes to its site in order to protect individual privacy. In fact, Facebook officials went so far as to pay hackers -- whom they call "independent researchers" -- $40,000 to find holes in the site's security system to assure that they have addressed all issues.
According to Facebook's chief security officer, Joe Sullivan, the social network has launched a "Bounty Bug Program" in order to discover any flaws in the system's software due to "software complexity, programming errors, changes in requirements, errors in bug tracking, limited documentation or bugs in software development tools." Facebook posted the following explanation of the program:
Because bug reports are often complicated and can involve complex legal issues, we chose our words carefully when announcing the program. Perhaps because of this, there have been several inaccurate reports about how the program works. For example, some stories said that the maximum payment would be $500, when in fact that is the minimum amount we will pay. In fact, we've already paid a $5,000 bounty for one really good report. On the other end of the spectrum, we've had to deal with bogus reports from people who were just looking for publicity.
At the end of the day, we feel great knowing that we've launched another strong effort to help provide a secure experience on Facebook. A bug bounty program is a great way to engage with the security research community, and an even better way to improve security across a complex technological environment. Facebook truly does have the world's best neighborhood watch program, and this program has proven that yet again for us.
Facebook has faced harsh scrutiny recently because of its use of facial recognition technology and the fact that phone numbers from members' contact lists are available for view.
Facebook first denied the presence of privacy issues on its site, but eventually caved in to users' demands. Last week, the social network announced in a blog entitled "Making it Easier to Share With Who You Want" that it would improve privacy:
Today we're announcing a bunch of improvements that make it easier to share posts, photos, tags and other content with exactly the people you want. You have told us that "who can see this?" could be clearer across Facebook, so we have made changes to make this more visual and straightforward.
Plus there are several other updates here that will make it easier to understand who can see your stuff (or your friends') in any context.
One of the changes made by Facebook's administrators is a new inline menu that shows who can see certain parts of a member's profile, which can be changed with a simple click. Likewise, Facebook users may also confirm or reject photos or posts in which they have been tagged, and may even reject or confirm those who have attempted to tag them.
Likewise, the site has now added a feature allowing members to view their profiles as others see it, so that they may know exactly what is visible to other members. It has also added new controls which permit users to specify who may see each post, picture, etc.
According to PC World, Facebook is not the only company which has hired hackers: Google and Mozilla have as well. The Blaze writes that Google officials have such confidence in its security that they offered hackers $20,000 to find any bugs.
Facebook notes that the program has been a success thus far. In a post about the new privacy efforts, the company said, "We know and have relationships with a large number of security experts, but this program has kicked off dialogue with a whole new and ever expanding set of people across the globe in over 16 countries, from Turkey to Poland who are passionate about Internet security."
Facebook contends, however, that while it is interested in protecting the privacy of its users, it will not be able to extend its bug bounty program to all those Facebook applications written by third parties, as such an endeavor is "not practical."
Ensure your vital information is secure- Visit GeeksOnCall.com now!
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware, music, the cloud, Facebook, security...
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
HP on the $99 TouchPad: Dont call us, well call you http://bit.ly/o48HBK
Navigating a new tablet? Our Techs can help! Visit GeeksOnCall.com
Navigating a new tablet? Our Techs can help! Visit GeeksOnCall.com
HP on the $99 TouchPad: Don't call us, we'll call you
CNN.com - 8/29/2011
Suzanne Choney
HP, inundated with customers who want a $99 TouchPad, Monday stopped accepting customer requests to be notified if and when the tablet is available again.
"We have received an overwhelming number of requests to be notified if the TouchPad is again available for sale. As a result, we have turned off the ability to be notified," HP says on its Touch Pad website when the "notify me" button is clicked. "We will have more information on product availability shortly. The most current information will be provided here. Those who signed up for notification will also be receiving an email as soon as we have more information to share."
The TouchPad frenzy has been in full gear for the past 10 days, since HP slashed prices on the two-month old tablet, which started its retail life at $499 for a 16 GB version, and $599 for the 32 GB model, to $99 and $149, respectively.
Mark Budgell, HP's social media strategist, said on a company blog Monday that HP has been "surprised by the enthusiastic response to the TouchPad price drop, and we understand and that many customers were disappointed that HP and our retail partners ran out of supply so fast."
Bryna Corcoran, HP's social media manager, has been busy on Twitter keeping those who are tracking TouchPad availability in the loop, but also with little good news for potential buyers. Monday morning, she tweeted: "Mourning TouchPad Tweeps. k, the bad news: TouchPads still not available. Good News? Yes you can stop."
In a Q-and-A on its site, this is some of what HP has to say about the TouchPad:
When is HP getting more HP TouchPads? One week, two weeks, a month?
We will have more information available in the next few days about whether or not more will be available and if so, what the details will be about the situation.
Q: Will the notification/alert emails go out all at once so everyone has a fair shot?
All emails to those who signed up will be sent at the same time.
Q: What about retailers? Some retailers won’t price match or drop their price to $99.
Each retailer will manage their own policy and process regarding pricing and price matching. Please contact the local retailer of your choice to see what their current position is.
And, as is expected, there is price-gouging going on by some individual sellers, who nabbed up TouchPads and are reselling them at twice or more from the discounted price for the tablets:
Q: Please limit stock to 1 per person: some people are getting 20 and then selling them on craigslist and eBay for a major profit.
If more inventory is available in the future, there will be an order limit.
Some view the TouchPad torrent of interest as a good lesson about tablet pricing. "Apple's iPad finally met its marketing match," wrote Brooke Crothers of CNET: "Over the last year and a half, no other tablet had been able to come as close as the TouchPad to eclipsing the fixation that consumers have had on the iPad," with the sale price triggering "the kind of buying frenzy that had been reserved exclusively for products from Apple."
Noted another observer:
"It's funny how none of us were willing topay $400 for a touchpad but we'll do anything to get it for $99."
HP on the $99 TouchPad: Don't call us, we'll call you
A Simple PC For Seniors http://bit.ly/qjcnwJ
Looking for something simpler, easier? Let us help- visit GeeksOnCall.com today!
Add comment August 29, 2011
A Simple PC For Seniors Is Complicated By Its Flaws
wsj.com – 8/11/2011
WALTER S. MOSSBERG
If you’re confused and frustrated by computers, or you serve as the tech-support person for somebody who is, you might be interested in a PC that’s designed to be much simpler than a typical Windows or Mac machine, yet can still perform popular tasks like Web surfing, emailing, photo viewing and video chatting.
I’ve been testing just such a computer, called the Telikin. It’s an all-in-one desktop, with a touch screen, that starts at $699 and comes from a small Philadelphia-area start-up called Venture 3 Systems. To create the Telikin, the company converts standard PCs from the Taiwanese manufacturer MSI by replacing Windows with the Linux operating system and then overlaying that with a greatly simplified user interface and apps of its own design. As simple as it is to use, the Telikin I tested had some flaws and glitches to frustrate most tech novices.
The interface is dominated by a row of big, blue buttons down the left side of the screen, with labels like Email, Photos, Calendar, Web and so forth. Large windows display content, and emails use a big, bold font for easy reading. The home page prominently displays news headlines and weather, and even a quote of the day. There is a built-in feature called Tech Buddy that allows a friend or relative to remotely take over the computer, with permission, to provide help.
After several days of testing the Telikin, I found the interface logical and the built-in apps worked pretty well, albeit sometimes on a very basic level. However, I can only give the Telikin a qualified thumbs up, because I kept running into bugs and limitations. Company officials acknowledged these problems and said they are fixing them. But if you buy a Telikin, you are betting that they will do so.
The company says it originally designed the Telikin for seniors, but is finding that older boomers are interested as well. Personally, because I know seniors who are computer masters and middle-age people whose PCs befuddle them, I’d say such a machine might appeal to anyone of any age who needs or craves greater simplicity in a PC. It’s available directly from telikin.com, or from Fry’s, an electronics retailer whose stores are mainly in the West.
There are two models. The base unit, at $699, is white, has an 18.6-inch screen and a 320-gigabyte hard disk. The second model, at $999, is black, has a 20-inch screen and a 500-GB hard disk. Both have touch screens that can be operated by finger or with an included stylus. Both also can be controlled with a traditional wired mouse, which is included along with a wired keyboard. Each model has 2 GB of memory, multiple USB ports, a DVD drive and a memory-card reader.
The company offers an optional service that gives hand-holding support on basic questions, such as, “How do I set up a Facebook account?” and includes the ability to back up the computer to a remote server for $10 a month.
In my tests, I was able to send and receive email on one of my own accounts; conduct video chats via Skype; view shared photos on Facebook; surf the Web; make calendar appointments; and play simple built-in games, like solitaire and mahjong.
I could create and read word-processing documents in Microsoft Word format; and view, but not create or edit PDF files and PowerPoint presentations.
I found the company’s tech support people to be helpful and patient, and the machine comes with some useful, if very basic, instructional videos, although there’s no real manual provided. The Web browser is pre-loaded with a series of visual bookmarks for common sites, and you can save your own favorites.
But bugs and limitations seriously detract from the Telikin.
For instance, at first, my test unit frequently froze, requiring a reboot each time. The company remotely upgraded its software, and the freezing was almost, but not entirely, eliminated.
I was also unable to attach photos to outgoing emails. The company said this was a known, but intermittent, bug that will be fixed by the end of the month.
Another example: My Telikin test unit couldn’t complete an online backup because, according to a scary error message, a Web file had “vanished.” Again, the company said it knew of the problem and was fixing it.
My test unit also came with an odd little add-on microphone poking out from the bottom, even though it had a built-in mic at the top. The company said it added the extra microphone because it wasn’t satisfied with the quality of the internal one.
And then there are the limitations. The built-in email program lacks the common Reply All and Forward functions, and the browser has no Refresh function.
The company said it left these out because it feared they might confuse some seniors. Now, it is thinking of adding them. Also, the Telikin can’t view spreadsheets, though again, the company says it is working on adding that ability.
On some emails I sent from a Mac, but not from my Windows PCs, attachments or text didn’t come through. And the remote-control Tech Buddy feature is harder to set up on a Mac. The company conceded it did very little testing of the Telikin’s compatibility with Macs, so if you are a Mac user planning on buying a Telikin for a relative, you might have problems.
Bottom line: The Telikin is a good idea with a decent design that suffers from flawed execution. If you have a friend or relative who could benefit from such a computer, you might consider the Telikin, but you should think about waiting until the company fixes the flaws.
Looking for something simpler? Let us help- visit GeeksOnCall.com today!
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware, music, the cloud, $99 TouchPad, TouchPad, Tablet...
Suzanne Choney
HP, inundated with customers who want a $99 TouchPad, Monday stopped accepting customer requests to be notified if and when the tablet is available again.
"We have received an overwhelming number of requests to be notified if the TouchPad is again available for sale. As a result, we have turned off the ability to be notified," HP says on its Touch Pad website when the "notify me" button is clicked. "We will have more information on product availability shortly. The most current information will be provided here. Those who signed up for notification will also be receiving an email as soon as we have more information to share."
The TouchPad frenzy has been in full gear for the past 10 days, since HP slashed prices on the two-month old tablet, which started its retail life at $499 for a 16 GB version, and $599 for the 32 GB model, to $99 and $149, respectively.
Mark Budgell, HP's social media strategist, said on a company blog Monday that HP has been "surprised by the enthusiastic response to the TouchPad price drop, and we understand and that many customers were disappointed that HP and our retail partners ran out of supply so fast."
Bryna Corcoran, HP's social media manager, has been busy on Twitter keeping those who are tracking TouchPad availability in the loop, but also with little good news for potential buyers. Monday morning, she tweeted: "Mourning TouchPad Tweeps. k, the bad news: TouchPads still not available. Good News? Yes you can stop."
In a Q-and-A on its site, this is some of what HP has to say about the TouchPad:
When is HP getting more HP TouchPads? One week, two weeks, a month?
We will have more information available in the next few days about whether or not more will be available and if so, what the details will be about the situation.
Q: Will the notification/alert emails go out all at once so everyone has a fair shot?
All emails to those who signed up will be sent at the same time.
Q: What about retailers? Some retailers won’t price match or drop their price to $99.
Each retailer will manage their own policy and process regarding pricing and price matching. Please contact the local retailer of your choice to see what their current position is.
And, as is expected, there is price-gouging going on by some individual sellers, who nabbed up TouchPads and are reselling them at twice or more from the discounted price for the tablets:
Q: Please limit stock to 1 per person: some people are getting 20 and then selling them on craigslist and eBay for a major profit.
If more inventory is available in the future, there will be an order limit.
Some view the TouchPad torrent of interest as a good lesson about tablet pricing. "Apple's iPad finally met its marketing match," wrote Brooke Crothers of CNET: "Over the last year and a half, no other tablet had been able to come as close as the TouchPad to eclipsing the fixation that consumers have had on the iPad," with the sale price triggering "the kind of buying frenzy that had been reserved exclusively for products from Apple."
Noted another observer:
"It's funny how none of us were willing topay $400 for a touchpad but we'll do anything to get it for $99."
HP on the $99 TouchPad: Don't call us, we'll call you
A Simple PC For Seniors http://bit.ly/qjcnwJ
Looking for something simpler, easier? Let us help- visit GeeksOnCall.com today!
Add comment August 29, 2011
A Simple PC For Seniors Is Complicated By Its Flaws
wsj.com – 8/11/2011
WALTER S. MOSSBERG
If you’re confused and frustrated by computers, or you serve as the tech-support person for somebody who is, you might be interested in a PC that’s designed to be much simpler than a typical Windows or Mac machine, yet can still perform popular tasks like Web surfing, emailing, photo viewing and video chatting.
I’ve been testing just such a computer, called the Telikin. It’s an all-in-one desktop, with a touch screen, that starts at $699 and comes from a small Philadelphia-area start-up called Venture 3 Systems. To create the Telikin, the company converts standard PCs from the Taiwanese manufacturer MSI by replacing Windows with the Linux operating system and then overlaying that with a greatly simplified user interface and apps of its own design. As simple as it is to use, the Telikin I tested had some flaws and glitches to frustrate most tech novices.
The interface is dominated by a row of big, blue buttons down the left side of the screen, with labels like Email, Photos, Calendar, Web and so forth. Large windows display content, and emails use a big, bold font for easy reading. The home page prominently displays news headlines and weather, and even a quote of the day. There is a built-in feature called Tech Buddy that allows a friend or relative to remotely take over the computer, with permission, to provide help.
After several days of testing the Telikin, I found the interface logical and the built-in apps worked pretty well, albeit sometimes on a very basic level. However, I can only give the Telikin a qualified thumbs up, because I kept running into bugs and limitations. Company officials acknowledged these problems and said they are fixing them. But if you buy a Telikin, you are betting that they will do so.
The company says it originally designed the Telikin for seniors, but is finding that older boomers are interested as well. Personally, because I know seniors who are computer masters and middle-age people whose PCs befuddle them, I’d say such a machine might appeal to anyone of any age who needs or craves greater simplicity in a PC. It’s available directly from telikin.com, or from Fry’s, an electronics retailer whose stores are mainly in the West.
There are two models. The base unit, at $699, is white, has an 18.6-inch screen and a 320-gigabyte hard disk. The second model, at $999, is black, has a 20-inch screen and a 500-GB hard disk. Both have touch screens that can be operated by finger or with an included stylus. Both also can be controlled with a traditional wired mouse, which is included along with a wired keyboard. Each model has 2 GB of memory, multiple USB ports, a DVD drive and a memory-card reader.
The company offers an optional service that gives hand-holding support on basic questions, such as, “How do I set up a Facebook account?” and includes the ability to back up the computer to a remote server for $10 a month.
In my tests, I was able to send and receive email on one of my own accounts; conduct video chats via Skype; view shared photos on Facebook; surf the Web; make calendar appointments; and play simple built-in games, like solitaire and mahjong.
I could create and read word-processing documents in Microsoft Word format; and view, but not create or edit PDF files and PowerPoint presentations.
I found the company’s tech support people to be helpful and patient, and the machine comes with some useful, if very basic, instructional videos, although there’s no real manual provided. The Web browser is pre-loaded with a series of visual bookmarks for common sites, and you can save your own favorites.
But bugs and limitations seriously detract from the Telikin.
For instance, at first, my test unit frequently froze, requiring a reboot each time. The company remotely upgraded its software, and the freezing was almost, but not entirely, eliminated.
I was also unable to attach photos to outgoing emails. The company said this was a known, but intermittent, bug that will be fixed by the end of the month.
Another example: My Telikin test unit couldn’t complete an online backup because, according to a scary error message, a Web file had “vanished.” Again, the company said it knew of the problem and was fixing it.
My test unit also came with an odd little add-on microphone poking out from the bottom, even though it had a built-in mic at the top. The company said it added the extra microphone because it wasn’t satisfied with the quality of the internal one.
And then there are the limitations. The built-in email program lacks the common Reply All and Forward functions, and the browser has no Refresh function.
The company said it left these out because it feared they might confuse some seniors. Now, it is thinking of adding them. Also, the Telikin can’t view spreadsheets, though again, the company says it is working on adding that ability.
On some emails I sent from a Mac, but not from my Windows PCs, attachments or text didn’t come through. And the remote-control Tech Buddy feature is harder to set up on a Mac. The company conceded it did very little testing of the Telikin’s compatibility with Macs, so if you are a Mac user planning on buying a Telikin for a relative, you might have problems.
Bottom line: The Telikin is a good idea with a decent design that suffers from flawed execution. If you have a friend or relative who could benefit from such a computer, you might consider the Telikin, but you should think about waiting until the company fixes the flaws.
Looking for something simpler? Let us help- visit GeeksOnCall.com today!
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware, music, the cloud, $99 TouchPad, TouchPad, Tablet...
Monday, August 29, 2011
A Simple PC For Seniors http://bit.ly/qjcnwJ
Looking for something simpler, easier? Let us help- visit GeeksOnCall.com today!
Looking for something simpler, easier? Let us help- visit GeeksOnCall.com today!
A Simple PC For Seniors Is Complicated By Its Flaws
wsj.com - 8/11/2011
WALTER S. MOSSBERG
If you're confused and frustrated by computers, or you serve as the tech-support person for somebody who is, you might be interested in a PC that's designed to be much simpler than a typical Windows or Mac machine, yet can still perform popular tasks like Web surfing, emailing, photo viewing and video chatting.
I've been testing just such a computer, called the Telikin. It's an all-in-one desktop, with a touch screen, that starts at $699 and comes from a small Philadelphia-area start-up called Venture 3 Systems. To create the Telikin, the company converts standard PCs from the Taiwanese manufacturer MSI by replacing Windows with the Linux operating system and then overlaying that with a greatly simplified user interface and apps of its own design. As simple as it is to use, the Telikin I tested had some flaws and glitches to frustrate most tech novices.
The interface is dominated by a row of big, blue buttons down the left side of the screen, with labels like Email, Photos, Calendar, Web and so forth. Large windows display content, and emails use a big, bold font for easy reading. The home page prominently displays news headlines and weather, and even a quote of the day. There is a built-in feature called Tech Buddy that allows a friend or relative to remotely take over the computer, with permission, to provide help.
After several days of testing the Telikin, I found the interface logical and the built-in apps worked pretty well, albeit sometimes on a very basic level. However, I can only give the Telikin a qualified thumbs up, because I kept running into bugs and limitations. Company officials acknowledged these problems and said they are fixing them. But if you buy a Telikin, you are betting that they will do so.
The company says it originally designed the Telikin for seniors, but is finding that older boomers are interested as well. Personally, because I know seniors who are computer masters and middle-age people whose PCs befuddle them, I'd say such a machine might appeal to anyone of any age who needs or craves greater simplicity in a PC. It's available directly from telikin.com, or from Fry's, an electronics retailer whose stores are mainly in the West.
There are two models. The base unit, at $699, is white, has an 18.6-inch screen and a 320-gigabyte hard disk. The second model, at $999, is black, has a 20-inch screen and a 500-GB hard disk. Both have touch screens that can be operated by finger or with an included stylus. Both also can be controlled with a traditional wired mouse, which is included along with a wired keyboard. Each model has 2 GB of memory, multiple USB ports, a DVD drive and a memory-card reader.
The company offers an optional service that gives hand-holding support on basic questions, such as, "How do I set up a Facebook account?" and includes the ability to back up the computer to a remote server for $10 a month.
In my tests, I was able to send and receive email on one of my own accounts; conduct video chats via Skype; view shared photos on Facebook; surf the Web; make calendar appointments; and play simple built-in games, like solitaire and mahjong.
I could create and read word-processing documents in Microsoft Word format; and view, but not create or edit PDF files and PowerPoint presentations.
I found the company's tech support people to be helpful and patient, and the machine comes with some useful, if very basic, instructional videos, although there's no real manual provided. The Web browser is pre-loaded with a series of visual bookmarks for common sites, and you can save your own favorites.
But bugs and limitations seriously detract from the Telikin.
For instance, at first, my test unit frequently froze, requiring a reboot each time. The company remotely upgraded its software, and the freezing was almost, but not entirely, eliminated.
I was also unable to attach photos to outgoing emails. The company said this was a known, but intermittent, bug that will be fixed by the end of the month.
Another example: My Telikin test unit couldn't complete an online backup because, according to a scary error message, a Web file had "vanished." Again, the company said it knew of the problem and was fixing it.
My test unit also came with an odd little add-on microphone poking out from the bottom, even though it had a built-in mic at the top. The company said it added the extra microphone because it wasn't satisfied with the quality of the internal one.
And then there are the limitations. The built-in email program lacks the common Reply All and Forward functions, and the browser has no Refresh function.
The company said it left these out because it feared they might confuse some seniors. Now, it is thinking of adding them. Also, the Telikin can't view spreadsheets, though again, the company says it is working on adding that ability.
On some emails I sent from a Mac, but not from my Windows PCs, attachments or text didn't come through. And the remote-control Tech Buddy feature is harder to set up on a Mac. The company conceded it did very little testing of the Telikin's compatibility with Macs, so if you are a Mac user planning on buying a Telikin for a relative, you might have problems.
Bottom line: The Telikin is a good idea with a decent design that suffers from flawed execution. If you have a friend or relative who could benefit from such a computer, you might consider the Telikin, but you should think about waiting until the company fixes the flaws.
Looking for something simpler? Let us help- visit GeeksOnCall.com today!
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware, music, the cloud...
WALTER S. MOSSBERG
If you're confused and frustrated by computers, or you serve as the tech-support person for somebody who is, you might be interested in a PC that's designed to be much simpler than a typical Windows or Mac machine, yet can still perform popular tasks like Web surfing, emailing, photo viewing and video chatting.
I've been testing just such a computer, called the Telikin. It's an all-in-one desktop, with a touch screen, that starts at $699 and comes from a small Philadelphia-area start-up called Venture 3 Systems. To create the Telikin, the company converts standard PCs from the Taiwanese manufacturer MSI by replacing Windows with the Linux operating system and then overlaying that with a greatly simplified user interface and apps of its own design. As simple as it is to use, the Telikin I tested had some flaws and glitches to frustrate most tech novices.
The interface is dominated by a row of big, blue buttons down the left side of the screen, with labels like Email, Photos, Calendar, Web and so forth. Large windows display content, and emails use a big, bold font for easy reading. The home page prominently displays news headlines and weather, and even a quote of the day. There is a built-in feature called Tech Buddy that allows a friend or relative to remotely take over the computer, with permission, to provide help.
After several days of testing the Telikin, I found the interface logical and the built-in apps worked pretty well, albeit sometimes on a very basic level. However, I can only give the Telikin a qualified thumbs up, because I kept running into bugs and limitations. Company officials acknowledged these problems and said they are fixing them. But if you buy a Telikin, you are betting that they will do so.
The company says it originally designed the Telikin for seniors, but is finding that older boomers are interested as well. Personally, because I know seniors who are computer masters and middle-age people whose PCs befuddle them, I'd say such a machine might appeal to anyone of any age who needs or craves greater simplicity in a PC. It's available directly from telikin.com, or from Fry's, an electronics retailer whose stores are mainly in the West.
There are two models. The base unit, at $699, is white, has an 18.6-inch screen and a 320-gigabyte hard disk. The second model, at $999, is black, has a 20-inch screen and a 500-GB hard disk. Both have touch screens that can be operated by finger or with an included stylus. Both also can be controlled with a traditional wired mouse, which is included along with a wired keyboard. Each model has 2 GB of memory, multiple USB ports, a DVD drive and a memory-card reader.
The company offers an optional service that gives hand-holding support on basic questions, such as, "How do I set up a Facebook account?" and includes the ability to back up the computer to a remote server for $10 a month.
In my tests, I was able to send and receive email on one of my own accounts; conduct video chats via Skype; view shared photos on Facebook; surf the Web; make calendar appointments; and play simple built-in games, like solitaire and mahjong.
I could create and read word-processing documents in Microsoft Word format; and view, but not create or edit PDF files and PowerPoint presentations.
I found the company's tech support people to be helpful and patient, and the machine comes with some useful, if very basic, instructional videos, although there's no real manual provided. The Web browser is pre-loaded with a series of visual bookmarks for common sites, and you can save your own favorites.
But bugs and limitations seriously detract from the Telikin.
For instance, at first, my test unit frequently froze, requiring a reboot each time. The company remotely upgraded its software, and the freezing was almost, but not entirely, eliminated.
I was also unable to attach photos to outgoing emails. The company said this was a known, but intermittent, bug that will be fixed by the end of the month.
Another example: My Telikin test unit couldn't complete an online backup because, according to a scary error message, a Web file had "vanished." Again, the company said it knew of the problem and was fixing it.
My test unit also came with an odd little add-on microphone poking out from the bottom, even though it had a built-in mic at the top. The company said it added the extra microphone because it wasn't satisfied with the quality of the internal one.
And then there are the limitations. The built-in email program lacks the common Reply All and Forward functions, and the browser has no Refresh function.
The company said it left these out because it feared they might confuse some seniors. Now, it is thinking of adding them. Also, the Telikin can't view spreadsheets, though again, the company says it is working on adding that ability.
On some emails I sent from a Mac, but not from my Windows PCs, attachments or text didn't come through. And the remote-control Tech Buddy feature is harder to set up on a Mac. The company conceded it did very little testing of the Telikin's compatibility with Macs, so if you are a Mac user planning on buying a Telikin for a relative, you might have problems.
Bottom line: The Telikin is a good idea with a decent design that suffers from flawed execution. If you have a friend or relative who could benefit from such a computer, you might consider the Telikin, but you should think about waiting until the company fixes the flaws.
Looking for something simpler? Let us help- visit GeeksOnCall.com today!
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware, music, the cloud...
Friday, August 26, 2011
Are You Ready For Hurricane Irene? Geeks On Call Tip #2 - Don't forget to charge your laptops, cell phones and other portable devices. http://ping.fm/TaARW
Are You Ready For Hurricane Irene? Geeks On Call Tip #2 - Charge Up
News outlets report that power outages from Hurricane Irene may take longer than usual. Don't forget to charge your laptops, cell phones and other portable devices prior to Irene's arrival. If you need help securing your data, don't forget Geeks On Call offers inexpensive back up solutions. For more information, or to get started, visit us online at: http://ping.fm/4YUmt or to chat live with a representative online: http://ping.fm/xYWkG , or call us now at 1-800-905-GEEK or 1-800-905-4335.
Court clears cloud music providers to expand features http://bit.ly/p3P4VS
Ready for the cloud? The courts are & we can help! 1800-905-4335
Ready for the cloud? The courts are & we can help! 1800-905-4335
Court clears cloud music providers to expand features
The decision by the U.S. District Court in New York could pave the way for Google's Music, Amazon.com's Cloud Player, Dropbox and other providers of online storage services to add time-saving features.
Amazon and Google have been cautious in how they implemented their respective Web-based music lockers, a CNN study found. Amazon Cloud Drive and Music Beta by Google each upload users' entire music catalog and store separate copies of each track, a very lengthy process even with today's broadband Internet speeds, according to the study.
Technically, they could check a song for an exact match on their servers in order to save people the time of uploading everything. But they don't, in an effort either to play it safe amidst murky law or to partially appease record labels that the two technology companies have tried negotiating with before.
Apple is readying a program called iTunes Match, which is part of the upcoming iCloud suite of Web tools, that can do just that. For $25 per year, iTunes Match will scan a person's music library against the iTunes Store's catalog, and if it finds a match, it will unlock access to that track. Before doing this, Apple secured agreements with the record labels.
"It takes just minutes, not weeks," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said onstage at a conference in June. A "locker in the sky," like Google's or Amazon's, "takes weeks" to download a person's entire library, he said.
Dropbox, a fast-growing file-storage utility, previously used a method called "de-duplication," which is also used by MP3tunes. Dropbox's servers used to send a small digital fingerprint of each file a user was uploading in order to see if another person had already uploaded that same song, video or document. The company disabled the feature several months ago, according to a web forum post by Dropbox co-founder Arash Ferdowsi.
"The feature is off now because the protocol has started getting abused," Ferdowsi wrote. "Dropbox is being tricked to 'upload' files that were never on the uploader's computer."
The closure appeared to target a type of software, called Dropship, which was designed to exploit this and facilitate illegal file sharing. The program is no longer functional after Dropbox changed its methods, said Dan DeFelippi, a programmer who hosted a version of Dropship on one of his online accounts after Dropbox executives tried to shut it down.
Ferdowsi said earlier that Dropbox planned to re-enable the de-duplication feature at some point. But it remains off, according to the CNN study. A spokeswoman for Dropbox declined to comment.
In the study, Tom Erbe, a computer music professor at the University of California, San Diego, edited the digital files for several popular songs and produced different versions to be uploaded to music-storage services. Erbe and CNN tested whether Cloud Drive, Music Beta and Dropbox would preserve the nuances in each track or instead return a "master copy," which provided insight into how these programs work.
Monday's ruling on the 4-year-old case, involving record giant EMI Group and bygone music locker service MP3tunes, parts the clouds, allowing more companies to offer the scan-and-match feature without labels' consent, legal analysts say.
Spokesmen for Amazon and Google didn't return requests for comment about whether they might implement such a feature.
"Many of the arguments raised by EMI weren't just about MP3tunes," Sherwin Siy, a legal analyst for digital-rights advocacy group Public Knowledge, wrote in a statement. "They set forth a theory of copyright that would have imperiled remote-storage services and other cloud applications. The court's rejection of these arguments deflates a lot of the legal uncertainty that record labels have tried to inject into these technological developments."
One possibility for Google is that it could combine its music service with the ubiquitous search engine in order to find songs that can be easily added to a person's personal locker, Siy andWired each suggested in reports. However, Google is unlikely to do so, if it would like to negotiate to open, say, a music store or all-access streaming service at some point in the future.
The sign up page for the Google application notes: "Music Beta is only for legally acquired music."
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, another digital-rights group, supported much of Judge William Pauley's 29-page memo.
"This outcome represents an understanding of copyright law more in line with how technology actually works, and avoids an absurd result where a music locker needs to waste server space by storing thousands of copies of identical files," Julie Samuels, an EFF legal analyst, wrote in a report. "This means more efficient music locker services, which is good news for music fans and for companies coming up with new and better ways to give those fans access to music they already own."
Michael Robertson, a digital-music pioneer and MP3tunes founder who is being sued, called the court ruling a 99% victory.
"Those in the industry that are building or contemplating personal music service like Amazon, Google, Grooveshark and Dropbox will surely have renewed confidence in offering similar unlicensed services," he wrote in a statement. "Our lawsuit with EMI will define legality of storage," he wrote in an online chat earlier this year.
An EMI spokesman expressed regret that the court has given safe harbor to "a business based on stolen music." At the same time, EMI celebrated the limited victories over MP3tunes' and Robertson's careless handling of certain aspects related to EMI's infringement claims.
"We will continue to fight," the EMI spokesman said in a statement.
Joseph DeMarco, a Columbia Law School professor, cautioned that the District Court's could be influenced by other cases, such as one in a Miami federal court involving the Hotfile online storage company.
Ready to join the cloud? so are the courts and we can help! visit GeeksOnCall.com
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware, music, the cloud...
Amazon and Google have been cautious in how they implemented their respective Web-based music lockers, a CNN study found. Amazon Cloud Drive and Music Beta by Google each upload users' entire music catalog and store separate copies of each track, a very lengthy process even with today's broadband Internet speeds, according to the study.
Technically, they could check a song for an exact match on their servers in order to save people the time of uploading everything. But they don't, in an effort either to play it safe amidst murky law or to partially appease record labels that the two technology companies have tried negotiating with before.
Apple is readying a program called iTunes Match, which is part of the upcoming iCloud suite of Web tools, that can do just that. For $25 per year, iTunes Match will scan a person's music library against the iTunes Store's catalog, and if it finds a match, it will unlock access to that track. Before doing this, Apple secured agreements with the record labels.
"It takes just minutes, not weeks," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said onstage at a conference in June. A "locker in the sky," like Google's or Amazon's, "takes weeks" to download a person's entire library, he said.
Dropbox, a fast-growing file-storage utility, previously used a method called "de-duplication," which is also used by MP3tunes. Dropbox's servers used to send a small digital fingerprint of each file a user was uploading in order to see if another person had already uploaded that same song, video or document. The company disabled the feature several months ago, according to a web forum post by Dropbox co-founder Arash Ferdowsi.
"The feature is off now because the protocol has started getting abused," Ferdowsi wrote. "Dropbox is being tricked to 'upload' files that were never on the uploader's computer."
The closure appeared to target a type of software, called Dropship, which was designed to exploit this and facilitate illegal file sharing. The program is no longer functional after Dropbox changed its methods, said Dan DeFelippi, a programmer who hosted a version of Dropship on one of his online accounts after Dropbox executives tried to shut it down.
Ferdowsi said earlier that Dropbox planned to re-enable the de-duplication feature at some point. But it remains off, according to the CNN study. A spokeswoman for Dropbox declined to comment.
In the study, Tom Erbe, a computer music professor at the University of California, San Diego, edited the digital files for several popular songs and produced different versions to be uploaded to music-storage services. Erbe and CNN tested whether Cloud Drive, Music Beta and Dropbox would preserve the nuances in each track or instead return a "master copy," which provided insight into how these programs work.
Monday's ruling on the 4-year-old case, involving record giant EMI Group and bygone music locker service MP3tunes, parts the clouds, allowing more companies to offer the scan-and-match feature without labels' consent, legal analysts say.
Spokesmen for Amazon and Google didn't return requests for comment about whether they might implement such a feature.
"Many of the arguments raised by EMI weren't just about MP3tunes," Sherwin Siy, a legal analyst for digital-rights advocacy group Public Knowledge, wrote in a statement. "They set forth a theory of copyright that would have imperiled remote-storage services and other cloud applications. The court's rejection of these arguments deflates a lot of the legal uncertainty that record labels have tried to inject into these technological developments."
One possibility for Google is that it could combine its music service with the ubiquitous search engine in order to find songs that can be easily added to a person's personal locker, Siy andWired each suggested in reports. However, Google is unlikely to do so, if it would like to negotiate to open, say, a music store or all-access streaming service at some point in the future.
The sign up page for the Google application notes: "Music Beta is only for legally acquired music."
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, another digital-rights group, supported much of Judge William Pauley's 29-page memo.
"This outcome represents an understanding of copyright law more in line with how technology actually works, and avoids an absurd result where a music locker needs to waste server space by storing thousands of copies of identical files," Julie Samuels, an EFF legal analyst, wrote in a report. "This means more efficient music locker services, which is good news for music fans and for companies coming up with new and better ways to give those fans access to music they already own."
Michael Robertson, a digital-music pioneer and MP3tunes founder who is being sued, called the court ruling a 99% victory.
"Those in the industry that are building or contemplating personal music service like Amazon, Google, Grooveshark and Dropbox will surely have renewed confidence in offering similar unlicensed services," he wrote in a statement. "Our lawsuit with EMI will define legality of storage," he wrote in an online chat earlier this year.
An EMI spokesman expressed regret that the court has given safe harbor to "a business based on stolen music." At the same time, EMI celebrated the limited victories over MP3tunes' and Robertson's careless handling of certain aspects related to EMI's infringement claims.
"We will continue to fight," the EMI spokesman said in a statement.
Joseph DeMarco, a Columbia Law School professor, cautioned that the District Court's could be influenced by other cases, such as one in a Miami federal court involving the Hotfile online storage company.
Ready to join the cloud? so are the courts and we can help! visit GeeksOnCall.com
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware, music, the cloud...
Are You Ready For Hurricane Irene? Geeks On Call Tip #1 - Backup Your Computer. click here to chat online live: http://ping.fm/aOcBU , or call us now at 1-800-905-4335
Are You Ready For Hurricane Irene? Geeks On Call Tip #1 - Backup Your Computer
As Hurricane Irene approaches, don't forget to back up your photos, files, music, movies and more. Geeks On Call offers inexpensive back up solutions that ensures the safety of all of you important data. For more information, or to get started, visit us online at: http://ping.fm/o5okJ click here to chat online live: http://ping.fm/Tng8q , or call us now at 1-800-905-GEEK or 1-800-905-4335.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Google+: 10 things it does better http://bit.ly/ow9Hxs
Let our Techs show you around the latest technology- visit GeeksOnCall.com
Let our Techs show you around the latest technology- visit GeeksOnCall.com
Google+: 10 things it does better
cnn.com - 8/23/2011
Pete Cashmore
Google+ Google's new social networking service, might cautiously be called a hit. With 25 million visitors at last count, Google+ may well be the fastest-growing social network to launch thus far.
A glance at Google+'s most popular users, however, would indicate that the social service is still a playground for tech's early adopters.
The unofficial leaderboard of the site's "most circled" users is dominated by technologists -- from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Even I make the list -- and while that's surely flattering, I'm hardly a household name.
This is the next great challenge for Google+ -- mainstream users may now be hearing about the service from time to time, but in a world of social networking overload, why would anyone spend time on Google+?
It's a question I struggle to answer: Google+ is certainly more fun to use than some of its rivals, but pinning down its specific advantages can be a challenge.
After all, the main features of the service are familiar: Post text updates, photos, videos and links to your friends from the Web or your mobile device. What's the big deal? I polled the Google+ community for answers to Google's marketing conundrum, and 10 distinct differences emerged. Could these be enough to convince the masses?
1. "Circles"
Overwhelmingly, Google+ users say they prefer Google+'s model for organizing your contacts. While Twitter allows you to "follow" others, and Facebook is all about mutual "friendship," Google+ instead introduces the concept of "Circles."
Circles are groups of friends with different labels such as "co-workers" or "family." Users can choose to share each update with a different group, and also view their incoming streams by group, rather than all at once. "I'm finding the circles help with keeping my life and work separate," explains Google+ fan Richard Walden.
2. Privacy
Google+ users say they find the service's privacy settings easier to use. This might be surprising given that Google+ profiles themselves cannot be private. However, thanks to Circles, it's easy to control which users can see each of your updates. "I want fine grained control of how my posts are shared," says Jen Delisle.
3. Longer, more thoughtful posts
Twitter might be king when it comes to brevity, but Ward Anderson says he reads more insightful postings on Google+. This thoughtfulness is enabled by Google+'s higher character limit -- users can post multiple paragraphs of text, versus one or two sentences on Twitter.
4. No ads
Google+ users, including Dave Francis Rotaquio, say they love that Google+ is currently ad-free. With Facebook having run ads for years, and Twitter now ramping up its use of advertising, Google+ is now one of the few successful social networks that lacks commercial interruption.
However, the free lunch is unlikely to last forever: Google runs the largest ad network on the Web and may eventually have to face the economic realities of operating a large social site.
5. Group video chat
Want to video chat with up to 10 friends? With Google+, switching from a text chat to a group video conversation takes a click -- and it's one feature that Google's rivals lack. Facebook now supports video calls thanks to a deal with Skype, but group chatting isn't possible there.
What's more, Google just intergrated this "Hangouts" feature into YouTube, letting you and your friends chat about videos while you watch.
6. Farmville-free
Google+ recently added games to its lineup -- a feature that's often cited as an annoyance on rival social networks. (Do you have a Facebook friend who can't help but post Farmville updates all day?)
Google+ makes its games less irritating, says Inniya Kim, by relegating all gaming updates to a dedicated tab -- this keeps your stream free from noisy distractions. So if Farmville were ever to come to Google+, few would consider it a pest.
7. Better photos
Some Google+ users say the network is becoming a leader in photo-sharing: Full-screen photo galleries and a highly active community consisting of some the Web's most popular photographers must surely have helped here.
8. Friendly staff
Who said social networks don't need great customer service? The creators of Google+ are active on the service themselves and use it to respond to questions and criticisms. Rob Michael feels this has made Google+ feel more collaborative.
9. Less clutter
Perhaps it's simply the lack of advertising, but many Google+ users say they like Google's clean, white aesthetic. On Google+, there's nothing to distract you from the content.
10. Integrated with Google products
Fans of Google's other services, such as Gmail and Google Calendar, say they like the way Google+ works across many of Google's existing products.
"They had everything else, for the most part, already working so all they needed was to add the social networking aspect to things," says Josiah Stone.
Perhaps the greatest selling point of Google+ is the most obvious, however: It's new. The opportunity to start afresh with an up-to-date list of friends, no spam, no ads and an uncluttered interface is a novel experience for those of us who have spent years maintaining profiles on other websites.
Whether that "new car feel" lasts -- especially for neophiles like me -- remains to be seen.
Let our Techs show you around the latest technology- visit GeeksOnCall.com
eywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware...
Pete Cashmore
Google+ Google's new social networking service, might cautiously be called a hit. With 25 million visitors at last count, Google+ may well be the fastest-growing social network to launch thus far.
A glance at Google+'s most popular users, however, would indicate that the social service is still a playground for tech's early adopters.
The unofficial leaderboard of the site's "most circled" users is dominated by technologists -- from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Even I make the list -- and while that's surely flattering, I'm hardly a household name.
This is the next great challenge for Google+ -- mainstream users may now be hearing about the service from time to time, but in a world of social networking overload, why would anyone spend time on Google+?
It's a question I struggle to answer: Google+ is certainly more fun to use than some of its rivals, but pinning down its specific advantages can be a challenge.
After all, the main features of the service are familiar: Post text updates, photos, videos and links to your friends from the Web or your mobile device. What's the big deal? I polled the Google+ community for answers to Google's marketing conundrum, and 10 distinct differences emerged. Could these be enough to convince the masses?
1. "Circles"
Overwhelmingly, Google+ users say they prefer Google+'s model for organizing your contacts. While Twitter allows you to "follow" others, and Facebook is all about mutual "friendship," Google+ instead introduces the concept of "Circles."
Circles are groups of friends with different labels such as "co-workers" or "family." Users can choose to share each update with a different group, and also view their incoming streams by group, rather than all at once. "I'm finding the circles help with keeping my life and work separate," explains Google+ fan Richard Walden.
2. Privacy
Google+ users say they find the service's privacy settings easier to use. This might be surprising given that Google+ profiles themselves cannot be private. However, thanks to Circles, it's easy to control which users can see each of your updates. "I want fine grained control of how my posts are shared," says Jen Delisle.
3. Longer, more thoughtful posts
Twitter might be king when it comes to brevity, but Ward Anderson says he reads more insightful postings on Google+. This thoughtfulness is enabled by Google+'s higher character limit -- users can post multiple paragraphs of text, versus one or two sentences on Twitter.
4. No ads
Google+ users, including Dave Francis Rotaquio, say they love that Google+ is currently ad-free. With Facebook having run ads for years, and Twitter now ramping up its use of advertising, Google+ is now one of the few successful social networks that lacks commercial interruption.
However, the free lunch is unlikely to last forever: Google runs the largest ad network on the Web and may eventually have to face the economic realities of operating a large social site.
5. Group video chat
Want to video chat with up to 10 friends? With Google+, switching from a text chat to a group video conversation takes a click -- and it's one feature that Google's rivals lack. Facebook now supports video calls thanks to a deal with Skype, but group chatting isn't possible there.
What's more, Google just intergrated this "Hangouts" feature into YouTube, letting you and your friends chat about videos while you watch.
6. Farmville-free
Google+ recently added games to its lineup -- a feature that's often cited as an annoyance on rival social networks. (Do you have a Facebook friend who can't help but post Farmville updates all day?)
Google+ makes its games less irritating, says Inniya Kim, by relegating all gaming updates to a dedicated tab -- this keeps your stream free from noisy distractions. So if Farmville were ever to come to Google+, few would consider it a pest.
7. Better photos
Some Google+ users say the network is becoming a leader in photo-sharing: Full-screen photo galleries and a highly active community consisting of some the Web's most popular photographers must surely have helped here.
8. Friendly staff
Who said social networks don't need great customer service? The creators of Google+ are active on the service themselves and use it to respond to questions and criticisms. Rob Michael feels this has made Google+ feel more collaborative.
9. Less clutter
Perhaps it's simply the lack of advertising, but many Google+ users say they like Google's clean, white aesthetic. On Google+, there's nothing to distract you from the content.
10. Integrated with Google products
Fans of Google's other services, such as Gmail and Google Calendar, say they like the way Google+ works across many of Google's existing products.
"They had everything else, for the most part, already working so all they needed was to add the social networking aspect to things," says Josiah Stone.
Perhaps the greatest selling point of Google+ is the most obvious, however: It's new. The opportunity to start afresh with an up-to-date list of friends, no spam, no ads and an uncluttered interface is a novel experience for those of us who have spent years maintaining profiles on other websites.
Whether that "new car feel" lasts -- especially for neophiles like me -- remains to be seen.
Let our Techs show you around the latest technology- visit GeeksOnCall.com
eywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware...
Monday, August 22, 2011
prevent your teen from texting while driving http://bit.ly/p0ggLA
keep your kids safe with this & other great tips. See GeeksOnCall.com
keep your kids safe with this & other great tips. See GeeksOnCall.com
Apps that prevent your teen from texting while driving
Does your child text? Does he or she drive? Chances are they're doing both at the same time. According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, 40 percent of drivers reported they're on theircellphones while driving at least a few times per week, and 19 percent talk daily. As a result, 22 percent of car accidents in 2009 were caused by cellphone usage.
Since adults can't seem to stop themselves from deadly in-car multitasking, it's probably not realistic to expect your teen to refrain from using his or her phone while driving.
Fortunately there are solutions that automatically kick in when the car starts rolling. These solutions come in two basic types:
Cellphone applications
Apps such as T-Mobile's DriveSmart Plus and Key2SafeDriving sense when you're driving, usually by GPS measuring your speed, and disable most or all of your phone's functionality once a pre-determined speed is reached.
All offer some sort of emergency override and passenger-usage exceptions, and some include Web-based cell-phone-use monitoring. You can opt into receiving messages whenever the app is overridden for cell phone use while driving.
Combination hardware/apps
These solutions work like the stand-alone apps, except instead of relying on GPS to sense car usage, a small module gets attached to a part of your car such as the emergency brake or the OBD (on-board diagnostics) module.
Once the module is triggered by car usage, a signal disables your phone. Another set of solutions uses a Bluetooth module to enable all-voice and text-to-speech capabilities.
Keep your kids safe with this & other tips from our techs. See GeeksOnCall.com
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware...
Since adults can't seem to stop themselves from deadly in-car multitasking, it's probably not realistic to expect your teen to refrain from using his or her phone while driving.
Fortunately there are solutions that automatically kick in when the car starts rolling. These solutions come in two basic types:
Cellphone applications
Apps such as T-Mobile's DriveSmart Plus and Key2SafeDriving sense when you're driving, usually by GPS measuring your speed, and disable most or all of your phone's functionality once a pre-determined speed is reached.
All offer some sort of emergency override and passenger-usage exceptions, and some include Web-based cell-phone-use monitoring. You can opt into receiving messages whenever the app is overridden for cell phone use while driving.
Combination hardware/apps
These solutions work like the stand-alone apps, except instead of relying on GPS to sense car usage, a small module gets attached to a part of your car such as the emergency brake or the OBD (on-board diagnostics) module.
Once the module is triggered by car usage, a signal disables your phone. Another set of solutions uses a Bluetooth module to enable all-voice and text-to-speech capabilities.
Keep your kids safe with this & other tips from our techs. See GeeksOnCall.com
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware...
Friday, August 19, 2011
Apple Targets Big Business Via New App Store Plan http://bit.ly/n9GBJU
Need more help with your company? Visit GeeksOnCall.com/business.asp
Need more help with your company? Visit GeeksOnCall.com/business.asp
Apple Targets Big Business Via New App Store Plan
forbes.com - 8/19/2011
Bob Evans
Apple is targeting corporate volume-purchasing deals with a new App Store campaign that fleshes out the company's promises to intensify its efforts to leverage the iPad's phenomenal early success within large enterprises.
With iPads now in trials or full-fledged rollouts within about 90% of the Fortune 500, Apple is looking to meet--as well as stimulate--corporate demand for business applications that unlock the full potential of the world's dominant tablet.
The company has just completed a soft launch of the Volume Purchase Program, and describes it this way on the Apple website:
"Unleash the power of the App Store to your entire workforce. Whether you're providing apps to ten employees or ten thousand, the Volume Purchase Program makes it simple to find, buy, and distribute the apps your business needs. The Volume Purchase Program also provides a way to purchase custom B2B apps built by third-party developers to meet the unique needs of your business."
This aggressive new move from Apple is a further indication that mobility has rapidly evolved from being an aspirational project within large businesses to an absolute strategic imperative.
During Apple's spectacular growth run over the past several years, the company has assiduously avoided the corporate market, saying that its true focus had to remain on consumers and that enterprises presented a variety of special needs and challenges that at the time were outside Apple's scope.
But the iPad's astonishingly rapid--and extensive--adoption within most of the world's largest companies has convinced Apple that it has much to gain by committing itself more vigorously to the booming market for fully mobilizing the corporate workforce with everything from devices to third-party applications to mobile-device management.
In these initial days of the App Store's new role as a gateway to enterprise applications for the iPad and the iPhone, Apple is focusing on three attributes of the Volume Purchase Program:
First, customers can buy apps in significant volumes; second, customers can get custom-built B2B apps from Apple's third-party developers and partners; and third, customers can use the App Store as a distribution mechanism for propagating apps to designated users around the organization and around the world.
Let's take a closer look at each of those elements:
1) Buying in volume. All of the paid apps in the App Store are available through the new program "at the same price listed in the App Store," according to apple's site. "Simply search for the apps you need, enter the quantity you want to buy, and complete the transaction with your corporate credit card."
2) Custom B2B apps. Created by third-party developers and Apple partners, these custom apps can "address a specific business process, integrate with a unique back-office environment, or deliver a custom interface for your users," Apple says. The App Store's new volume-purchase campaign lets customers "securely and privately purchase custom B2B apps for iPhone and iPad," the site says.
An Apple spokesman expanded on that, saying that custom apps will be visible only to those users designated by the customer that has specified and purchased the apps.
3) App Store as application distributor. "When you buy apps in volume or custom B2B apps, you will receive redemption codes for each app," says Apple. "You can control who gets the apps by providing these codes to users via email or an internal website. You can also use third-party Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to manage redemption codes centrally."
Apple also says its App Store Volume Purchase Program supports a range of security and management solutions that are essential for enterprise deployments:
For the vast number of enterprises that must now manage thousands of Apple mobile devices, Apple says its "iOS 4 Mobile Device Management capabilities give IT departments the ability to securely enroll devices in an enterprise environment, wirelessly configure and update settings, monitor compliance with corporate policies, and even remotely wipe or lock managed devices."
That section goes on to list about 20 such third-party solutions, among them Sybase Afaria. In addition, the Volume Purchase Program site also offers a detailed outline (30 slides) called the In-House App Development Accelerator Guide designed to help customers create their own apps.
All of these new enterprise-centric initiatives from Apple follow closely the comments made in mid-July by Apple COO Tim Cook during the company's quarterly earnings call when he said the company is unmistakably ramping up its efforts to penetrate corporate accounts more deeply with the iPad: "I would characterize this as we're still building [our enterprise business] out, and we do a bit better each quarter. We're very, very happy with the numbers that Peter talked about earlier about the level of interest and taking people to the pilot and initial deployment stages, and now our attention is moving to penetration within those accounts versus sort of getting on the standards lists."
Need more help with your company? Visit GeeksOnCall.com/business.asp
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware...
Bob Evans
Apple is targeting corporate volume-purchasing deals with a new App Store campaign that fleshes out the company's promises to intensify its efforts to leverage the iPad's phenomenal early success within large enterprises.
With iPads now in trials or full-fledged rollouts within about 90% of the Fortune 500, Apple is looking to meet--as well as stimulate--corporate demand for business applications that unlock the full potential of the world's dominant tablet.
The company has just completed a soft launch of the Volume Purchase Program, and describes it this way on the Apple website:
"Unleash the power of the App Store to your entire workforce. Whether you're providing apps to ten employees or ten thousand, the Volume Purchase Program makes it simple to find, buy, and distribute the apps your business needs. The Volume Purchase Program also provides a way to purchase custom B2B apps built by third-party developers to meet the unique needs of your business."
This aggressive new move from Apple is a further indication that mobility has rapidly evolved from being an aspirational project within large businesses to an absolute strategic imperative.
During Apple's spectacular growth run over the past several years, the company has assiduously avoided the corporate market, saying that its true focus had to remain on consumers and that enterprises presented a variety of special needs and challenges that at the time were outside Apple's scope.
But the iPad's astonishingly rapid--and extensive--adoption within most of the world's largest companies has convinced Apple that it has much to gain by committing itself more vigorously to the booming market for fully mobilizing the corporate workforce with everything from devices to third-party applications to mobile-device management.
In these initial days of the App Store's new role as a gateway to enterprise applications for the iPad and the iPhone, Apple is focusing on three attributes of the Volume Purchase Program:
First, customers can buy apps in significant volumes; second, customers can get custom-built B2B apps from Apple's third-party developers and partners; and third, customers can use the App Store as a distribution mechanism for propagating apps to designated users around the organization and around the world.
Let's take a closer look at each of those elements:
1) Buying in volume. All of the paid apps in the App Store are available through the new program "at the same price listed in the App Store," according to apple's site. "Simply search for the apps you need, enter the quantity you want to buy, and complete the transaction with your corporate credit card."
2) Custom B2B apps. Created by third-party developers and Apple partners, these custom apps can "address a specific business process, integrate with a unique back-office environment, or deliver a custom interface for your users," Apple says. The App Store's new volume-purchase campaign lets customers "securely and privately purchase custom B2B apps for iPhone and iPad," the site says.
An Apple spokesman expanded on that, saying that custom apps will be visible only to those users designated by the customer that has specified and purchased the apps.
3) App Store as application distributor. "When you buy apps in volume or custom B2B apps, you will receive redemption codes for each app," says Apple. "You can control who gets the apps by providing these codes to users via email or an internal website. You can also use third-party Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to manage redemption codes centrally."
Apple also says its App Store Volume Purchase Program supports a range of security and management solutions that are essential for enterprise deployments:
For the vast number of enterprises that must now manage thousands of Apple mobile devices, Apple says its "iOS 4 Mobile Device Management capabilities give IT departments the ability to securely enroll devices in an enterprise environment, wirelessly configure and update settings, monitor compliance with corporate policies, and even remotely wipe or lock managed devices."
That section goes on to list about 20 such third-party solutions, among them Sybase Afaria. In addition, the Volume Purchase Program site also offers a detailed outline (30 slides) called the In-House App Development Accelerator Guide designed to help customers create their own apps.
All of these new enterprise-centric initiatives from Apple follow closely the comments made in mid-July by Apple COO Tim Cook during the company's quarterly earnings call when he said the company is unmistakably ramping up its efforts to penetrate corporate accounts more deeply with the iPad: "I would characterize this as we're still building [our enterprise business] out, and we do a bit better each quarter. We're very, very happy with the numbers that Peter talked about earlier about the level of interest and taking people to the pilot and initial deployment stages, and now our attention is moving to penetration within those accounts versus sort of getting on the standards lists."
Need more help with your company? Visit GeeksOnCall.com/business.asp
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware...
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Best apps for taking notes http://bit.ly/pb5Ya4
Going back to school/getting organized? These apps & our techs can help-See GeeksOnCall.com
Going back to school/getting organized? These apps & our techs can help-See GeeksOnCall.com
The best apps for taking notes in class
msnbc.com - 8/18/2011
Sebastian Anthony
Believe it or not, buried in the murky mists of time, there was an era when students kept notes on pulped pieces of dead tree. It's hard to imagine now in a world piled high with iPads, smartphones, netbooks, and ultra-thins, but eager, studious types would whip out a notepad, pencil and highlighter -- and take laborious, wrist-twisting notes.
Today, of course, it's far more efficient to keep notes on a computer. Not only does it cut down on cut down trees, but when it comes to the end of the semester and crunch time for course work and exams, digital notes are much easier to search and sort through. You're not left with folders and reams of antiquated notes come the end of the year, either; you can just back up your notes, create a new folder for a new year and begin afresh.
There are two keys to taking good notes: using the right software and organizing your notes in a sensible fashion.
Apps, apps, apps!
Taking notes on a tablet or smartphone isn't exactly ideal -- but if you get your hands on a portable keyboard, it's almost as good as a laptop or netbook. The best and most flexible note-taking app for just about any breed of smartphone or tablet is Evernote (free). There are Evernote apps for iPhone/iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Palm OS and Windows Phone 7.
The main thing about Evernote is that all of your notes are automatically sent into the cloud -- and once they're there, you can access them from any web-connected computer via the Evernote app or a web browser. Like most of the apps in this list, Evernote also supports audio and photo notes -- rather handy if you want to record your lecture or take photos of any projected notes (but ask for permission first!).
Windows
If you're taking notes on a Windows laptop or netbook, you can't go wrong with Evernote -- but if you have Microsoft Office on your computer, you might want to try out OneNote, which is probably the best note-taking program in existence. There are OneNote apps for Windows Phone 7 and the iPhone and iPad. There's also a web interface, which might be useful if you have to take notes while you're in a computer lab.
OneNote is similar to Evernote in its functionality, but it also supports the ability to take handwritten notes with a stylus or through capturing an image of what you've written -- and rather miraculously, you can still search through the handwritten notes.
Mac
Yet again, Evernote works well on Mac -- and conveniently it's available from the Mac App Store. If you want something very simple, try Notational Velocity. It's free, but it only supports typed notes -- no photos, no audio, nothing fancy. It does sync with Dropbox and Simplenote, however, so you can always access your notes from any web-connected computer or mobile device.
Be organized
If you attend more than a couple of classes per semester, you'll very quickly build up a ton of notes that need to be properly organized -- otherwise, when it rolls around to exam time, you won't be able to find what you're looking for!
Folders and notebooks Start by creating a new folder (Evernote calls them notebooks) for every course that you take. Make sure that each folder includes the exact course code (EE101, CS201, and so on) for each module/course.
Names To make sure you can always find notes easily, use file names that start with the date -- 5-1-2011, for example -- and then include a few keywords like the subject of the lecture or the lecturer's name.
Tags and categories Most note-taking tools let you tag and categorize your notes. If you use tags such as "needs research" or "my weakest subjects," then you'll be able to find your most important notes much more easily.
How to take better notes
Beyond the right software and the right filing system, the most important thing you can do to improve your note-taking skills is to work on your typing speed and accuracy. Typing speeds of around 60 words per minute are totally achievable with a few weeks of touvh typing practice, and accuracy should naturally improve over time.
There are, of course, efficient note-taking techniques worth learning, too; you can write down everything that the teacher says, but that doesn't mean you should.
Taking notes is for fools!
Finally, many lecturers and teachers prepare a deck of slides for a class or lecture. A lot of universities already make these available for download from a website -- but if not, it doesn't hurt to ask your lecturer for a copy. Slides certainly aren't the same as proper notes, but they can definitely help with revisions.
These slides are often in PDF format, which you can easily read on any Windows or Mac computer and most smartphones and tablets. If they're in PowerPoint format, you'll need Microsoft Office or a PowerPoint viewer.
Going back to school or getting organized?
These apps will help and so can our techs- Visit GeeksOnCall.com
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware...
Sebastian Anthony
Believe it or not, buried in the murky mists of time, there was an era when students kept notes on pulped pieces of dead tree. It's hard to imagine now in a world piled high with iPads, smartphones, netbooks, and ultra-thins, but eager, studious types would whip out a notepad, pencil and highlighter -- and take laborious, wrist-twisting notes.
Today, of course, it's far more efficient to keep notes on a computer. Not only does it cut down on cut down trees, but when it comes to the end of the semester and crunch time for course work and exams, digital notes are much easier to search and sort through. You're not left with folders and reams of antiquated notes come the end of the year, either; you can just back up your notes, create a new folder for a new year and begin afresh.
There are two keys to taking good notes: using the right software and organizing your notes in a sensible fashion.
Apps, apps, apps!
Taking notes on a tablet or smartphone isn't exactly ideal -- but if you get your hands on a portable keyboard, it's almost as good as a laptop or netbook. The best and most flexible note-taking app for just about any breed of smartphone or tablet is Evernote (free). There are Evernote apps for iPhone/iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Palm OS and Windows Phone 7.
The main thing about Evernote is that all of your notes are automatically sent into the cloud -- and once they're there, you can access them from any web-connected computer via the Evernote app or a web browser. Like most of the apps in this list, Evernote also supports audio and photo notes -- rather handy if you want to record your lecture or take photos of any projected notes (but ask for permission first!).
Windows
If you're taking notes on a Windows laptop or netbook, you can't go wrong with Evernote -- but if you have Microsoft Office on your computer, you might want to try out OneNote, which is probably the best note-taking program in existence. There are OneNote apps for Windows Phone 7 and the iPhone and iPad. There's also a web interface, which might be useful if you have to take notes while you're in a computer lab.
OneNote is similar to Evernote in its functionality, but it also supports the ability to take handwritten notes with a stylus or through capturing an image of what you've written -- and rather miraculously, you can still search through the handwritten notes.
Mac
Yet again, Evernote works well on Mac -- and conveniently it's available from the Mac App Store. If you want something very simple, try Notational Velocity. It's free, but it only supports typed notes -- no photos, no audio, nothing fancy. It does sync with Dropbox and Simplenote, however, so you can always access your notes from any web-connected computer or mobile device.
Be organized
If you attend more than a couple of classes per semester, you'll very quickly build up a ton of notes that need to be properly organized -- otherwise, when it rolls around to exam time, you won't be able to find what you're looking for!
Folders and notebooks Start by creating a new folder (Evernote calls them notebooks) for every course that you take. Make sure that each folder includes the exact course code (EE101, CS201, and so on) for each module/course.
Names To make sure you can always find notes easily, use file names that start with the date -- 5-1-2011, for example -- and then include a few keywords like the subject of the lecture or the lecturer's name.
Tags and categories Most note-taking tools let you tag and categorize your notes. If you use tags such as "needs research" or "my weakest subjects," then you'll be able to find your most important notes much more easily.
How to take better notes
Beyond the right software and the right filing system, the most important thing you can do to improve your note-taking skills is to work on your typing speed and accuracy. Typing speeds of around 60 words per minute are totally achievable with a few weeks of touvh typing practice, and accuracy should naturally improve over time.
There are, of course, efficient note-taking techniques worth learning, too; you can write down everything that the teacher says, but that doesn't mean you should.
Taking notes is for fools!
Finally, many lecturers and teachers prepare a deck of slides for a class or lecture. A lot of universities already make these available for download from a website -- but if not, it doesn't hurt to ask your lecturer for a copy. Slides certainly aren't the same as proper notes, but they can definitely help with revisions.
These slides are often in PDF format, which you can easily read on any Windows or Mac computer and most smartphones and tablets. If they're in PowerPoint format, you'll need Microsoft Office or a PowerPoint viewer.
Going back to school or getting organized?
These apps will help and so can our techs- Visit GeeksOnCall.com
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware...
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Internet Explorer 9 safest Web browser? http://bit.ly/pAIS6C
Protect your computer with our help- Visit GeeksOnCall.com now!
Protect your computer with our help- Visit GeeksOnCall.com now!
Internet Explorer 9 safest Web browser?
When it comes to blocking malware, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 seems to come out on top, by leaps and bounds, over other browsers.
Tests by NSS Labs to "examine the ability of five different web browsers to protect users from socially-engineered malware" showed that IE9 was able to block this kind of threat 99 percent of the time, beating out Apple Safari 5, Google Chrome 12, Mozilla Firefox 4 and Opera 11.
(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)
The closest another Web browser got to that blocking-the-bad stuff rate was Chrome, at a very distant 13.2 percent. At the low end of the blockers was Opera, with a 6.1 percent rate.
NSS also tested socially engineered malware targeted at users in Asia Pacific and in Europe and found IE9 again seemed to blow the others away, with a 95 percent mean block rate in Asia and 92 percent in Europe. Chrome was again second, with a 15.4 percent block rate in Asia being its highest score. Opera again finished last.
NSS gave particular props to IE9's SmartScreen technology, which is designed to stop the attacks before they can infiltrate the browser. SmartScreen can do one of three actions: Allow direct access to the website (as long as it "has high traffic and no history of hosting any phishing scams or malware"), block the link or directs the user to a page with more information, allowing them the choice of whether to proceed.
While these findings might seem to give a boost to IE9, which had 2.3 million downloads in the first 24 hours of its March release, its impact on the general population may be miniscule given how popular the other browsers are. Mozilla Firefox 4, for instance, already quickly surpassed IE9's first day downloads, with 7.1 million, only about a week after IE9's debut.
Citing HitsLink, The Next Web put this in context by revealing IE9 only inhabits 6.8 percent of the total browser market. On the other hand, its predecessor, IE8, controls the Web browser market with a 29.23 percent share. (Chrome has almost 11.2 percent and Firefox 5.0 has 10.4 percent.)
Nevertheless, the Exploring IE blog was quick to laud the findings, adding that since another NSS report that came out in October, "the average time taken by SmartScreen filter to block a threat has gotten 28 percent faster -- and if Application Reputation is considered, then the average time has improved by 85 perecent. Not only has the effectiveness of the technology improved, but so has the speed at which it is able to identify socially engineered malware."
Protect your computer with the help of one of our techs- Visit GeeksOnCall.com now or call 1-800-905-4335
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware...
Tests by NSS Labs to "examine the ability of five different web browsers to protect users from socially-engineered malware" showed that IE9 was able to block this kind of threat 99 percent of the time, beating out Apple Safari 5, Google Chrome 12, Mozilla Firefox 4 and Opera 11.
(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)
The closest another Web browser got to that blocking-the-bad stuff rate was Chrome, at a very distant 13.2 percent. At the low end of the blockers was Opera, with a 6.1 percent rate.
NSS also tested socially engineered malware targeted at users in Asia Pacific and in Europe and found IE9 again seemed to blow the others away, with a 95 percent mean block rate in Asia and 92 percent in Europe. Chrome was again second, with a 15.4 percent block rate in Asia being its highest score. Opera again finished last.
NSS gave particular props to IE9's SmartScreen technology, which is designed to stop the attacks before they can infiltrate the browser. SmartScreen can do one of three actions: Allow direct access to the website (as long as it "has high traffic and no history of hosting any phishing scams or malware"), block the link or directs the user to a page with more information, allowing them the choice of whether to proceed.
While these findings might seem to give a boost to IE9, which had 2.3 million downloads in the first 24 hours of its March release, its impact on the general population may be miniscule given how popular the other browsers are. Mozilla Firefox 4, for instance, already quickly surpassed IE9's first day downloads, with 7.1 million, only about a week after IE9's debut.
Citing HitsLink, The Next Web put this in context by revealing IE9 only inhabits 6.8 percent of the total browser market. On the other hand, its predecessor, IE8, controls the Web browser market with a 29.23 percent share. (Chrome has almost 11.2 percent and Firefox 5.0 has 10.4 percent.)
Nevertheless, the Exploring IE blog was quick to laud the findings, adding that since another NSS report that came out in October, "the average time taken by SmartScreen filter to block a threat has gotten 28 percent faster -- and if Application Reputation is considered, then the average time has improved by 85 perecent. Not only has the effectiveness of the technology improved, but so has the speed at which it is able to identify socially engineered malware."
Protect your computer with the help of one of our techs- Visit GeeksOnCall.com now or call 1-800-905-4335
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, internet explorer, malware...
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Child-friendly Netflix interface mysteriously appears http://bit.ly/nkFr4r Learn more great ways to protect your kids- Visit GeeksOnCall.com
Child-friendly Netflix interface mysteriously appears
Your kids probably think of Netflix as a magical portal to all their favorite shows, but you fear allowing them to browse the service on their own -- after all, what if they see something age-inappropriate? Well, if a mysteriously appearing child-friendly Netflix interface is any indication, your mind will soon be at easy about such things.
The folks at VentureBeat recently noticed that a "Just For Kids" section appeared on some Netflix accounts. This section lays out child-friendly content in slightly modified format -- one tailored-made for youngsters:
The new interface has a row of clickable cartoon characters on top. When you select a character, the next page shows every episode associated with that character’s show. For example, if you click Aang from the show Avatar: The Last Airbender, you will be taken to a list of 54 episodes of the series. Individual episodes are represented by thumbnails and slider that shows how much of each episode has been watched.
Netflix has not made any official announcements regarding this new interface and it isn't known just how many users are able to access it at this point.
Learn more great ways to protect your- Visit GeeksOnCall.com or call 1-800-905-4335
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, kids, children, mobile...
The folks at VentureBeat recently noticed that a "Just For Kids" section appeared on some Netflix accounts. This section lays out child-friendly content in slightly modified format -- one tailored-made for youngsters:
The new interface has a row of clickable cartoon characters on top. When you select a character, the next page shows every episode associated with that character’s show. For example, if you click Aang from the show Avatar: The Last Airbender, you will be taken to a list of 54 episodes of the series. Individual episodes are represented by thumbnails and slider that shows how much of each episode has been watched.
Netflix has not made any official announcements regarding this new interface and it isn't known just how many users are able to access it at this point.
Learn more great ways to protect your- Visit GeeksOnCall.com or call 1-800-905-4335
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safety, analyze computer, kids, children, mobile...
Monday, August 15, 2011
Industry Tinkers to Create Privacy Tools for Mobile Devices: http://bit.ly/oXuf8d
Don't get caught unprotected- visit GeeksOnCall.com now!
Don't get caught unprotected- visit GeeksOnCall.com now!
Industry Tries to Streamline Privacy Policies for Mobile Users
nytimes.com - 8/14/2011
TANZINA VEGA
For many Internet users, online privacy policies are long and difficult to read. Transfer those same policies to a mobile device, where users can find themselves clicking through multiple screens often with tiny type, and the policies can become almost useless to the average consumer.
Yet those same policies govern how much user data is collected through mobile applications and how that data is shared with advertisers and other third parties. And with growing concern over data collection, including proposed legislation to more closely protect consumers, one company is trying to make privacy policies that are both easy for consumers to read and easy for mobile application developers to create.
"Everybody complains that no one reads privacy policies and that privacy policies are too long and too difficult," said Jim Brock, the founder of Privacy Choice, a company that has analyzed and indexed the data in hundreds of privacy policies across the Web. "The mobile environment requires you to say things very succinctly, and it requires you to say things in layers."
Using the data collected from hundreds of online privacy policies, Mr. Brock and his team devised a tool to help mobile application developers create basic policies without the help of a lawyer. Developers who want to use the tool can select answers to basic questions about how they collect data, how that data is used and whether it can be deleted.
The resulting policy boils complicated policy language down to a few sentences like "We collect or share your location only with your permission" or "We keep personal data until you delete it."
"If you have 10 minutes, you can get on the right side of privacy rules," said Mr. Brock, who estimates that the vast majority of applications that mobile phone users download don't have privacy policies at all. Policies that do exist can be challenging for users to read without having to click through multiple screens. Adding to the confusion, many application developers are small businesses that make revenue off customized advertising, but don't have a consistent approach to making policy.
Morgan Reed, the executive director for the Association for Competitive Technology, a trade organization that supports mobile application developers, said more than 80 percent of developers are small businesses with fewer than 10 employees. Many of the apps they create collect data on users -- including their location -- that can be sent to advertising networks, which in turn show users ads based on the data that has been collected.
Without advertising revenue, app developers would have to charge more for their apps -- which typically sell for 99 cents to a few dollars each -- and some might find it difficult to stay in business. "Solving this privacy problem is absolutely critical for us," Mr. Reed said. "We want to make sure this revenue stream continues."
The cost for a legal consultation, which can range from a couple of hundred dollars to thousands, can also be a deterrent for small app developers looking to create privacy policies. But Christopher Wolf, a partner at the Hogan Lovells law firm and a co-chairman of the Future of Privacy Forum, said app developers should not claim cost as an excuse.
"I think it's a cop-out for app developers to say they don't have the budget for it," Mr. Wolf said. "It's an investment for any "usiness that deals in consumer data. They ought to build it into the development cost."
Andrew Binkowski, a researcher at the University of Chicago and an app developer, said allowing advertising on his baby name app, Stork Drop, doubled his revenue. Mr. Binkowski said the app drew advertisements for items like diapers or cord blood banks (facilities that store umbilical cord blood for future use).
As for privacy policies, Mr. Binkowski said he wasn't sure if it was necessary to have one given that his apps did not collect personally identifiable data and in some cases, did not collect any data at all. The cost and expertise needed to create a privacy policy were also a concern. "I'm still not certain about what needs to go in there," he added.
Forrester Research predicts that by 2015, 36 percent of consumers in the United States will use mobile Internet services, with spending on mobile advertising expected to increase to $2.8 billion.
In June, Senator Al Franken, Democrat of Minnesota and the chairman of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on privacy, technology and the law, proposed legislation along with Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, that would require mobile companies to obtain a user's consent before collecting location-based data and before sharing that data with third parties.
Recent efforts to increase the availability of mobile privacy policies, like Mr. Brock's policy generator, "is a good first step in informing consumers," Mr. Franken said in an e-mail. "But it alone will not address the majority of privacy threats that consumers face on their mobile devices."
Another tool to manage tracking by advertisers and ad networks is being developed by Evidon, the company that provided the technology behind an icon-based online self-regulatory program supported by the Digital Advertising Alliance.
Scott Meyer, the company's chief executive, said work is under way on a tool that would allow users to opt out of being served targeted advertising across multiple providers, similar to the way the icon program works. Mr. Meyer said the company had already signed contracts with multiple ad networks and agencies and expected to announce the new tool by the end of the year.
"The point of this is to build a more trusted environment," Mr. Meyer said.
Don't get caught unprotected!
Visit geeksoncall.com or call 1-800-905-4335
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TANZINA VEGA
For many Internet users, online privacy policies are long and difficult to read. Transfer those same policies to a mobile device, where users can find themselves clicking through multiple screens often with tiny type, and the policies can become almost useless to the average consumer.
Yet those same policies govern how much user data is collected through mobile applications and how that data is shared with advertisers and other third parties. And with growing concern over data collection, including proposed legislation to more closely protect consumers, one company is trying to make privacy policies that are both easy for consumers to read and easy for mobile application developers to create.
"Everybody complains that no one reads privacy policies and that privacy policies are too long and too difficult," said Jim Brock, the founder of Privacy Choice, a company that has analyzed and indexed the data in hundreds of privacy policies across the Web. "The mobile environment requires you to say things very succinctly, and it requires you to say things in layers."
Using the data collected from hundreds of online privacy policies, Mr. Brock and his team devised a tool to help mobile application developers create basic policies without the help of a lawyer. Developers who want to use the tool can select answers to basic questions about how they collect data, how that data is used and whether it can be deleted.
The resulting policy boils complicated policy language down to a few sentences like "We collect or share your location only with your permission" or "We keep personal data until you delete it."
"If you have 10 minutes, you can get on the right side of privacy rules," said Mr. Brock, who estimates that the vast majority of applications that mobile phone users download don't have privacy policies at all. Policies that do exist can be challenging for users to read without having to click through multiple screens. Adding to the confusion, many application developers are small businesses that make revenue off customized advertising, but don't have a consistent approach to making policy.
Morgan Reed, the executive director for the Association for Competitive Technology, a trade organization that supports mobile application developers, said more than 80 percent of developers are small businesses with fewer than 10 employees. Many of the apps they create collect data on users -- including their location -- that can be sent to advertising networks, which in turn show users ads based on the data that has been collected.
Without advertising revenue, app developers would have to charge more for their apps -- which typically sell for 99 cents to a few dollars each -- and some might find it difficult to stay in business. "Solving this privacy problem is absolutely critical for us," Mr. Reed said. "We want to make sure this revenue stream continues."
The cost for a legal consultation, which can range from a couple of hundred dollars to thousands, can also be a deterrent for small app developers looking to create privacy policies. But Christopher Wolf, a partner at the Hogan Lovells law firm and a co-chairman of the Future of Privacy Forum, said app developers should not claim cost as an excuse.
"I think it's a cop-out for app developers to say they don't have the budget for it," Mr. Wolf said. "It's an investment for any "usiness that deals in consumer data. They ought to build it into the development cost."
Andrew Binkowski, a researcher at the University of Chicago and an app developer, said allowing advertising on his baby name app, Stork Drop, doubled his revenue. Mr. Binkowski said the app drew advertisements for items like diapers or cord blood banks (facilities that store umbilical cord blood for future use).
As for privacy policies, Mr. Binkowski said he wasn't sure if it was necessary to have one given that his apps did not collect personally identifiable data and in some cases, did not collect any data at all. The cost and expertise needed to create a privacy policy were also a concern. "I'm still not certain about what needs to go in there," he added.
Forrester Research predicts that by 2015, 36 percent of consumers in the United States will use mobile Internet services, with spending on mobile advertising expected to increase to $2.8 billion.
In June, Senator Al Franken, Democrat of Minnesota and the chairman of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on privacy, technology and the law, proposed legislation along with Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, that would require mobile companies to obtain a user's consent before collecting location-based data and before sharing that data with third parties.
Recent efforts to increase the availability of mobile privacy policies, like Mr. Brock's policy generator, "is a good first step in informing consumers," Mr. Franken said in an e-mail. "But it alone will not address the majority of privacy threats that consumers face on their mobile devices."
Another tool to manage tracking by advertisers and ad networks is being developed by Evidon, the company that provided the technology behind an icon-based online self-regulatory program supported by the Digital Advertising Alliance.
Scott Meyer, the company's chief executive, said work is under way on a tool that would allow users to opt out of being served targeted advertising across multiple providers, similar to the way the icon program works. Mr. Meyer said the company had already signed contracts with multiple ad networks and agencies and expected to announce the new tool by the end of the year.
"The point of this is to build a more trusted environment," Mr. Meyer said.
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Friday, August 12, 2011
Facebook Crimes on the Rise, Experts Warn http://bit.ly/rkNkq4
How safe are you? Our techs can analyze your computer- visit geeksoncall.com
How safe are you? Our techs can analyze your computer- visit geeksoncall.com
Facebook Crimes on the Rise, Experts Warn
foxnews.com - 8/11/2011
Samanth Murphy
Facebook crimes ranging from scams to online bullying are on the rise, and they are getting more sophisticated, experts warn.
It's no secret that scammers on the social media website rely on carefully crafted baits that often include scandalous and explicit video content or exclusive footage of the latest and hottest events, from celebrity death claims to never-before-seen footage of a natural disaster.
Just last week, a "clickjacking" scam that claimed Lady Gaga was found dead in a hotel room spread like wildfire on Facebook thanks to a link that took users to a fake BBC News website.
Ploys such as the Lady Gaga scam aim to increase clicks to a page or link because they are paid by advertisers for every click they help generate. Others steal personal information, from names to addresses that are extracted when users fill out a fake survey, and that data is later sold to other cybercriminals.
Meanwhile, rarer cybercrimes on Facebook involve the installation of malicious softaware, or "malware," on computers so credit card information can be easily stolen.
However, the rise of these Facebook crimes isn't limited to just scams and phishing activities. There's also cyberbullying, sexual predation and even robberies that occur after users post GPS location about their whereabouts to inform others they are out of town.
A Facebook crime wave?
As Facebook becomes riskier to use, experts are weighing in on why these crimes are happening at such a rapid rate.
"These types of crimes are designed to use your own actions or weaknesses against you," said Lynette Owens, director of Internet Safety for Kids & Families, an online resource hosted by Trend Micro, a global digital security firm based in Tokyo.
"As humans, and for good reason, we put trust in others more often than not because most people at most times are worthy of that trust. The online world is no different than the offline world in that sense."
A recent Pew Internet & American Life study found that Facebook users are more trusting than people who are not members of the social networking site.
In fact, a Facebook user who uses the site multiple times per day is 43 percent more likely than other Internet users and more than three times as likely as non-Internet users to feel that most people can be trusted.
According to Paul Zak, a professor at Claremont College, scammers prey on Facebook users not only because they are an easy target, but because they also don't know their victims.
"It's easier to hurt someone when you're not seeing them in person," Zak told TechNewsDaily. "Neuroscience research shows that moral violations are less likely when interactions are personal because people empathize with those they meet in person. In the online world, people are just a number."
Many cybercriminals include pictures in scams since the brain is especially sensitive to images, Zak said.
For example, he noted that a reoccurring scam started popping up on Facebook that solicited donations to pay for the funeral of a young child allegedly from a neighboring town.
"However, we started to notice that every weekend there was another child's funeral that needed donations, and that's when suspicions started to rise," Zak said.
The scams
The social scam industry is thriving overall because scam creators are taking legitimate Facebook functionalities and persuading people to click on links, said Ioana Jelea, communication specialist at BitDefender.
"Social engineering has reached unprecedented levels, with scam waves being customized according to the very latest events that make the headlines of tabloids," Jelea said. "With celebrity-themed baits, for example, click counts will spike within hours, and as hot topics become 'old news,' they will be dropped and rapidly replaced with fresh meat."
Cyberbullying, sexual predator behavior and other non-spam related social networking crimes have been in the spotlight over the last year, especially as some events have led to tragic consequences.
In fall 2010, a student from Rutgers committed suicide after his roommate posted a video of him engaging in a sexual act and posted a message about it on Twitter. In addition, news of sexual predators lurking behind Facebook personas and establish relationships with children has also created a media stir.
"Most sex offenders are under some type of electronic surveillance, which prevents them from being in the vicinity of children, but Facebook allows them to create dummy profiles to nurture relationships with minors," said Sedgrid Lewis, founder of Atlanta-based Spy Parent LLC. "After sexual predators gain the trust of the minor, then they invite them to a location to meet."
Lewis also attributes the rise of these types of Facebook crimes to the popularity of mobile phones that allow Facebook users to easily post to the site anytime and from anywhere. He noted that the lack of resources by local law enforcement is also at fault.
"Most crimes committed on Facebook have to be investigated by the federal government, which won't usually become involved unless the crime is serious in nature," Lewis said. "Local law agencies don't have the technology or the resources to go after cybercriminals. Instead, they pass laws to prevent crimes such as cyberbullying through social media, but it's been slow moving."
Trust bust
Jelea of BitDefender argues that it's not just users' trust in the platform that puts them at risk, it's their insufficient familiarity with the Facebook's security and privacy settings, as well as the threats inherent to online info sharing.
"Simple yet often disregarded precaution, such as carefully reading the permissions requested by an app, could spare users the effort of cleaning their accounts of automatic scammy posts," Jelea said.
Owens of Trend Micro agrees that Facebook users aren't taking extra precautions to prevent these crimes.
"You assume that your house won't be robbed each time you leave, but you probably still lock the door," Owens said. "When you are home and someone rings the door bell, you let those you know in and not those you don't know. The same rules apply to social networks."
That said, Owens advises Facebook users to connect only with those they know can be trusted, use the strongest privacy settings possible, share only when necessary and keep up-to-date, reputable security software on every device used to access the Internet.
"I don't think it's solely the responsibility of social networks to solve these issues," Owens said. "Parents should become savvy users themselves so they can teach their kids early on how to be safe online".
"Schools should also integrate this into education, especially as technology becomes a greater part of the education system overall," he added.
How safe are you? Uur techs can analyze your computer- visit geeksoncall.com or call 1-800-905-4335
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, facebook, safe, analyze computer...
Samanth Murphy
Facebook crimes ranging from scams to online bullying are on the rise, and they are getting more sophisticated, experts warn.
It's no secret that scammers on the social media website rely on carefully crafted baits that often include scandalous and explicit video content or exclusive footage of the latest and hottest events, from celebrity death claims to never-before-seen footage of a natural disaster.
Just last week, a "clickjacking" scam that claimed Lady Gaga was found dead in a hotel room spread like wildfire on Facebook thanks to a link that took users to a fake BBC News website.
Ploys such as the Lady Gaga scam aim to increase clicks to a page or link because they are paid by advertisers for every click they help generate. Others steal personal information, from names to addresses that are extracted when users fill out a fake survey, and that data is later sold to other cybercriminals.
Meanwhile, rarer cybercrimes on Facebook involve the installation of malicious softaware, or "malware," on computers so credit card information can be easily stolen.
However, the rise of these Facebook crimes isn't limited to just scams and phishing activities. There's also cyberbullying, sexual predation and even robberies that occur after users post GPS location about their whereabouts to inform others they are out of town.
A Facebook crime wave?
As Facebook becomes riskier to use, experts are weighing in on why these crimes are happening at such a rapid rate.
"These types of crimes are designed to use your own actions or weaknesses against you," said Lynette Owens, director of Internet Safety for Kids & Families, an online resource hosted by Trend Micro, a global digital security firm based in Tokyo.
"As humans, and for good reason, we put trust in others more often than not because most people at most times are worthy of that trust. The online world is no different than the offline world in that sense."
A recent Pew Internet & American Life study found that Facebook users are more trusting than people who are not members of the social networking site.
In fact, a Facebook user who uses the site multiple times per day is 43 percent more likely than other Internet users and more than three times as likely as non-Internet users to feel that most people can be trusted.
According to Paul Zak, a professor at Claremont College, scammers prey on Facebook users not only because they are an easy target, but because they also don't know their victims.
"It's easier to hurt someone when you're not seeing them in person," Zak told TechNewsDaily. "Neuroscience research shows that moral violations are less likely when interactions are personal because people empathize with those they meet in person. In the online world, people are just a number."
Many cybercriminals include pictures in scams since the brain is especially sensitive to images, Zak said.
For example, he noted that a reoccurring scam started popping up on Facebook that solicited donations to pay for the funeral of a young child allegedly from a neighboring town.
"However, we started to notice that every weekend there was another child's funeral that needed donations, and that's when suspicions started to rise," Zak said.
The scams
The social scam industry is thriving overall because scam creators are taking legitimate Facebook functionalities and persuading people to click on links, said Ioana Jelea, communication specialist at BitDefender.
"Social engineering has reached unprecedented levels, with scam waves being customized according to the very latest events that make the headlines of tabloids," Jelea said. "With celebrity-themed baits, for example, click counts will spike within hours, and as hot topics become 'old news,' they will be dropped and rapidly replaced with fresh meat."
Cyberbullying, sexual predator behavior and other non-spam related social networking crimes have been in the spotlight over the last year, especially as some events have led to tragic consequences.
In fall 2010, a student from Rutgers committed suicide after his roommate posted a video of him engaging in a sexual act and posted a message about it on Twitter. In addition, news of sexual predators lurking behind Facebook personas and establish relationships with children has also created a media stir.
"Most sex offenders are under some type of electronic surveillance, which prevents them from being in the vicinity of children, but Facebook allows them to create dummy profiles to nurture relationships with minors," said Sedgrid Lewis, founder of Atlanta-based Spy Parent LLC. "After sexual predators gain the trust of the minor, then they invite them to a location to meet."
Lewis also attributes the rise of these types of Facebook crimes to the popularity of mobile phones that allow Facebook users to easily post to the site anytime and from anywhere. He noted that the lack of resources by local law enforcement is also at fault.
"Most crimes committed on Facebook have to be investigated by the federal government, which won't usually become involved unless the crime is serious in nature," Lewis said. "Local law agencies don't have the technology or the resources to go after cybercriminals. Instead, they pass laws to prevent crimes such as cyberbullying through social media, but it's been slow moving."
Trust bust
Jelea of BitDefender argues that it's not just users' trust in the platform that puts them at risk, it's their insufficient familiarity with the Facebook's security and privacy settings, as well as the threats inherent to online info sharing.
"Simple yet often disregarded precaution, such as carefully reading the permissions requested by an app, could spare users the effort of cleaning their accounts of automatic scammy posts," Jelea said.
Owens of Trend Micro agrees that Facebook users aren't taking extra precautions to prevent these crimes.
"You assume that your house won't be robbed each time you leave, but you probably still lock the door," Owens said. "When you are home and someone rings the door bell, you let those you know in and not those you don't know. The same rules apply to social networks."
That said, Owens advises Facebook users to connect only with those they know can be trusted, use the strongest privacy settings possible, share only when necessary and keep up-to-date, reputable security software on every device used to access the Internet.
"I don't think it's solely the responsibility of social networks to solve these issues," Owens said. "Parents should become savvy users themselves so they can teach their kids early on how to be safe online".
"Schools should also integrate this into education, especially as technology becomes a greater part of the education system overall," he added.
How safe are you? Uur techs can analyze your computer- visit geeksoncall.com or call 1-800-905-4335
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Thursday, August 11, 2011
Tech Can Identify Faces (and Social Security Numbers) in a Crowd http://bit.ly/oAmbo7
Protect your personal info- call 1800-905-Geek now!
Protect your personal info- call 1800-905-Geek now!
Tech Can Identify Faces (and Social Security Numbers) in a Crowd
Is this the death of anonymity?
Imagine this scenario: You're walking down the street and spy a girl or guy you'd like to get to know better. You envision a nice cup of coffee followed by a stroll in the park -- followed by a happily ever after.
Now imagine that you could point your cellphone's camera at that person and get not only their name but also personal information such as occupation, marital status and income, and perhaps even likes, dislikes, hobbies and credit score.
Great for stalkers? Yes. And this possibility is not to far off in the future.
A new study from Carnegie Mellon University's Alessandro Acquisti, Ralph Gross and Fred Stutzman showed that current technology can actually cross reference a person's face with currently available photos on the Web and find out information about that person, including their interests -- and in some cases their social security numbers.
Before you panic and start Google-hunting for Phantom of the Opera masks, consider that this technology is not completely ready. CMU's researchers could identify only about one third of their subjects in what they called "offline to online recognition." The other two-thirds were able to remain anonymous.
To manage this feat, the researchers took photos of students on a North American college campus with a Webcam. They then compared those shots to photos they found on Facebook using facial recognition software.
Then they went data mining.
By pillaging around the internet for more personal information about those identified students, they were able to find not only interests but in some cases addresses and social security numbers. They referred to this as "augmented reality," meaning the researchers augmented what you see in the real world with information that you can find online.
While I've always thought anonymity can be overrated, this scares even someone as public as myself. I can easily see people using it for malicious purposes.
For example, imagine two strangers bumping into one another on the streets of New York City -- two far from friendly people. Imagine terse words are exchanged with choice expletives. Imagine one person getting so inflamed that he decides the argument isn't over, even when both walk away.
Imagine he looks up the other person with this technology, finds an address, and finishes the argument later with a surprise house call.
I don't want to fearmonger, but not all strangers who go seeking information about other strangers have true love in mind as in the example I first cited.
The Carnegie Mellon study was not meant to scare us, but rather to prepare us for what technology can and will inevitably do. So now that we know about it, how can we prepare for a world without anonymity and personal boundaries?
You can't fight progress but you can live by this rule: The less sensitive information you put on the internet, the less sensitive information someone can find out about you.
Protect your personal info- call 1-800-905-Geek today!
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network...
Imagine this scenario: You're walking down the street and spy a girl or guy you'd like to get to know better. You envision a nice cup of coffee followed by a stroll in the park -- followed by a happily ever after.
Now imagine that you could point your cellphone's camera at that person and get not only their name but also personal information such as occupation, marital status and income, and perhaps even likes, dislikes, hobbies and credit score.
Great for stalkers? Yes. And this possibility is not to far off in the future.
A new study from Carnegie Mellon University's Alessandro Acquisti, Ralph Gross and Fred Stutzman showed that current technology can actually cross reference a person's face with currently available photos on the Web and find out information about that person, including their interests -- and in some cases their social security numbers.
Before you panic and start Google-hunting for Phantom of the Opera masks, consider that this technology is not completely ready. CMU's researchers could identify only about one third of their subjects in what they called "offline to online recognition." The other two-thirds were able to remain anonymous.
To manage this feat, the researchers took photos of students on a North American college campus with a Webcam. They then compared those shots to photos they found on Facebook using facial recognition software.
Then they went data mining.
By pillaging around the internet for more personal information about those identified students, they were able to find not only interests but in some cases addresses and social security numbers. They referred to this as "augmented reality," meaning the researchers augmented what you see in the real world with information that you can find online.
While I've always thought anonymity can be overrated, this scares even someone as public as myself. I can easily see people using it for malicious purposes.
For example, imagine two strangers bumping into one another on the streets of New York City -- two far from friendly people. Imagine terse words are exchanged with choice expletives. Imagine one person getting so inflamed that he decides the argument isn't over, even when both walk away.
Imagine he looks up the other person with this technology, finds an address, and finishes the argument later with a surprise house call.
I don't want to fearmonger, but not all strangers who go seeking information about other strangers have true love in mind as in the example I first cited.
The Carnegie Mellon study was not meant to scare us, but rather to prepare us for what technology can and will inevitably do. So now that we know about it, how can we prepare for a world without anonymity and personal boundaries?
You can't fight progress but you can live by this rule: The less sensitive information you put on the internet, the less sensitive information someone can find out about you.
Protect your personal info- call 1-800-905-Geek today!
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network...
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Google+ app works on iPad now ... kinda http://bit.ly/okn91E
Does your computer "kinda" work? Let us help you today- visit geeksoncall.com
Does your computer "kinda" work? Let us help you today- visit geeksoncall.com
Google+ app works on iPad now ... kinda
msnbc.com - 8/9/2011
Rosa Golijan
As soon as the Google+ app became available for the iPhone, folks started pleading for iPad support to be added. Well, it's here now -- along with iPod Touch optimization-- but it might not be what everyone was hoping for.
The change came when the official Google+ app found in the Apple App Store became a universal app -- meaning that it can now run on various iOS devices. At that point, iPod Touch and iPad users were finally granted access to what their iPhone-carrying friends have been enjoying for a while. The iPad users got the short end of the stick though: The iPad version of the Google+ app is basically just a scaled up version of the iPhone app -- it doesn't feel optimized for the tablet's large display.
That pesky issue aside though, the Google+ app has definitely improved since we first saw it since we first saw it. A lot of the stability issues which initially plagued us have disappeared and the app appears to run more smoothly.
Is your computer "kinda" working? Let us help- visit geeksoncall.com today!
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, google+, ipad...
Rosa Golijan
As soon as the Google+ app became available for the iPhone, folks started pleading for iPad support to be added. Well, it's here now -- along with iPod Touch optimization-- but it might not be what everyone was hoping for.
The change came when the official Google+ app found in the Apple App Store became a universal app -- meaning that it can now run on various iOS devices. At that point, iPod Touch and iPad users were finally granted access to what their iPhone-carrying friends have been enjoying for a while. The iPad users got the short end of the stick though: The iPad version of the Google+ app is basically just a scaled up version of the iPhone app -- it doesn't feel optimized for the tablet's large display.
That pesky issue aside though, the Google+ app has definitely improved since we first saw it since we first saw it. A lot of the stability issues which initially plagued us have disappeared and the app appears to run more smoothly.
Is your computer "kinda" working? Let us help- visit geeksoncall.com today!
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, google+, ipad...
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Monitoring Kids on Facebook http://bit.ly/oZZVwI
Keep your kids safe with the help of one of our techs- visit GeeksOnCall.com now.
Keep your kids safe with the help of one of our techs- visit GeeksOnCall.com now.
Monitor Kids on Facebook Without Being Their 'Friend'
wsj.com - 7/28/2011
WALTER S. MOSSBERG
Parents fret all the time about protecting their kids on Facebook, but many of the products and services I've seen that aim to help are intrusive, and inject the parents into the child's normal, healthy online social life in a way that's awkward for both.
You could co-manage your child's account, or "friend" them on the service, which technically has a minimum age of 13. But those are time-consuming and embarrassing practices, especially when the offspring are teenagers, who generally crave some degree of privacy, even if they don't merit full treatment as adults.
So I've been testing a service called ZoneAlarm SocialGuard that I think strikes a good balance between safety and privacy, between a parent's peace of mind and a teen's sense of freedom. Every five minutes, it monitors kids' Facebook accounts for approaches by potential predators and strangers, cyber-bullying, age fraud, account hacking, and links to inappropriate or malicious websites. It uses algorithms that look for certain types of language, profile data, or other clues that unwanted activity may be under way.
However, SocialGuard does this in a way that is invisible to the kids' friends, and doesn't require the parent to be on guard all the time, or even to be on Facebook at all. If the service finds a possible problem, it emails the parent, the child, or both. This happens outside of Facebook itself. The service doesn't give the parent the ability to directly read, or leave comments on, the child's Facebook wall.
ZoneAlarm SocialGuard comes from a veteran security firm, Check Point Software Technologies. It costs $2 a month or $20 a year, though there's a free seven-day trial (the company is also randomly testing a free 30-day trial.) It takes the form of a stand-alone computer program connected to a back-end monitoring service, and can be downloaded at http://bit.ly/hgo0C5. A new version coming in August will add several features, including a toolbar that can deliver SocialGuard warnings when you use Internet Explorer or Firefox.
Before I get into describing how it works, let me note several caveats about SocialGuard.
First of all, the program (and toolbar) only work on Windows PCs. There's no version for Macs, Web browsers, smartphones or tablets--and no definite plans for such versions. However, it can monitor Facebook accounts that are accessed by your kids via Macs or mobile devices, or via different Windows PCs.
In other words, the software you use for monitoring needn't be on the same device the child uses for accessing Facebook.
Secondly, there are some holes in its coverage. While it monitors such things as messages, profiles and wall posts on a Facebook account, it doesn't monitor Facebook chats; places and events; or photos, though it does check on the text accompanying photos and the people who tag the pictures. So, if your daughter is posting pictures you consider inappropriate, SocialGuard can't warn you.
Also, SocialGuard can't protect your child if he or she manages to set up a second, secret Facebook account that you and the service don't know about.
Finally, like all security software, it isn't a silver bullet, even in the areas it does cover. You still need to do active parenting, including discussions with your children. The child is likely to be aware that SocialGuard is monitoring his or her account, because, in order to set it up, you must use her Facebook sign-in credentials. In fact, the company stresses this point, noting that, if you do get an email about, say, language in a post that indicates cyber-bullying, you should discuss it with your kid.
Still, in my tests, SocialGuard did what it promised, and I believe it could be a real benefit to parents and children alike, so they are warned about potential problems early.
SocialGuard can cover up to five Facebook accounts simultaneously, and each account can have its own settings as to what is monitored, and whether only the parent, or both the parent and child, should get emails when suspicious events occur. For instance, for an older teen, you might not worry about content classified by the program as "sex education," but for a younger one you might.
For my tests, I entered my own, real, Facebook account; a fake account I created; and several test accounts for imaginary children of different ages that the company had created, complete with some events that triggered emails to me.
When I tried, using my fake account, to friend one of the test children, I was flagged as a "potential stranger" because I wasn't connected to the child or any of her friends, according to the company's algorithms. Another example: I was warned that one of the test kids' friends had a declared age of 14, but also had stated on Facebook he graduated high school in 1972.
In other cases, language or links figured into the warnings that appeared in my email inbox. When one child sent another a Web link to a lock-picking site, I was warned. When an imaginary friend posted on one of my imaginary kids' walls a message that included curse words commonly used by bullies, it was flagged as possible cyber-bullying.
Obviously, not all of these cases may be real causes for concern. True friends sometimes use bad language in situations that aren't bullying. Sometimes websites are passed along that SocialGuard knows are malicious or inappropriate, but the sender doesn't. An older aunt, outside a child's social circle, may wish to friend him. And different families have different levels of tolerance. That's why discussions matter. SocialGuard only warns. It doesn't stop these activities.
I am not so sanguine about the forthcoming toolbar, which I also tested. Managed in part by a separate company, it has various features, like a search box for the Bing search engine and a link to an app store selling Web-based games and other services, that are unrelated to the core mission of SocialGuard, and which I found both annoying and distracting from the purpose of the security service.
But, overall, if you're a parent with limited time who worries about your child's safety on Facebook, yet wants to give her some privacy, SocialGuard is worth trying.
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Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, teens, parents, security, kids, facebook, parents, security...
WALTER S. MOSSBERG
Parents fret all the time about protecting their kids on Facebook, but many of the products and services I've seen that aim to help are intrusive, and inject the parents into the child's normal, healthy online social life in a way that's awkward for both.
You could co-manage your child's account, or "friend" them on the service, which technically has a minimum age of 13. But those are time-consuming and embarrassing practices, especially when the offspring are teenagers, who generally crave some degree of privacy, even if they don't merit full treatment as adults.
So I've been testing a service called ZoneAlarm SocialGuard that I think strikes a good balance between safety and privacy, between a parent's peace of mind and a teen's sense of freedom. Every five minutes, it monitors kids' Facebook accounts for approaches by potential predators and strangers, cyber-bullying, age fraud, account hacking, and links to inappropriate or malicious websites. It uses algorithms that look for certain types of language, profile data, or other clues that unwanted activity may be under way.
However, SocialGuard does this in a way that is invisible to the kids' friends, and doesn't require the parent to be on guard all the time, or even to be on Facebook at all. If the service finds a possible problem, it emails the parent, the child, or both. This happens outside of Facebook itself. The service doesn't give the parent the ability to directly read, or leave comments on, the child's Facebook wall.
ZoneAlarm SocialGuard comes from a veteran security firm, Check Point Software Technologies. It costs $2 a month or $20 a year, though there's a free seven-day trial (the company is also randomly testing a free 30-day trial.) It takes the form of a stand-alone computer program connected to a back-end monitoring service, and can be downloaded at http://bit.ly/hgo0C5. A new version coming in August will add several features, including a toolbar that can deliver SocialGuard warnings when you use Internet Explorer or Firefox.
Before I get into describing how it works, let me note several caveats about SocialGuard.
First of all, the program (and toolbar) only work on Windows PCs. There's no version for Macs, Web browsers, smartphones or tablets--and no definite plans for such versions. However, it can monitor Facebook accounts that are accessed by your kids via Macs or mobile devices, or via different Windows PCs.
In other words, the software you use for monitoring needn't be on the same device the child uses for accessing Facebook.
Secondly, there are some holes in its coverage. While it monitors such things as messages, profiles and wall posts on a Facebook account, it doesn't monitor Facebook chats; places and events; or photos, though it does check on the text accompanying photos and the people who tag the pictures. So, if your daughter is posting pictures you consider inappropriate, SocialGuard can't warn you.
Also, SocialGuard can't protect your child if he or she manages to set up a second, secret Facebook account that you and the service don't know about.
Finally, like all security software, it isn't a silver bullet, even in the areas it does cover. You still need to do active parenting, including discussions with your children. The child is likely to be aware that SocialGuard is monitoring his or her account, because, in order to set it up, you must use her Facebook sign-in credentials. In fact, the company stresses this point, noting that, if you do get an email about, say, language in a post that indicates cyber-bullying, you should discuss it with your kid.
Still, in my tests, SocialGuard did what it promised, and I believe it could be a real benefit to parents and children alike, so they are warned about potential problems early.
SocialGuard can cover up to five Facebook accounts simultaneously, and each account can have its own settings as to what is monitored, and whether only the parent, or both the parent and child, should get emails when suspicious events occur. For instance, for an older teen, you might not worry about content classified by the program as "sex education," but for a younger one you might.
For my tests, I entered my own, real, Facebook account; a fake account I created; and several test accounts for imaginary children of different ages that the company had created, complete with some events that triggered emails to me.
When I tried, using my fake account, to friend one of the test children, I was flagged as a "potential stranger" because I wasn't connected to the child or any of her friends, according to the company's algorithms. Another example: I was warned that one of the test kids' friends had a declared age of 14, but also had stated on Facebook he graduated high school in 1972.
In other cases, language or links figured into the warnings that appeared in my email inbox. When one child sent another a Web link to a lock-picking site, I was warned. When an imaginary friend posted on one of my imaginary kids' walls a message that included curse words commonly used by bullies, it was flagged as possible cyber-bullying.
Obviously, not all of these cases may be real causes for concern. True friends sometimes use bad language in situations that aren't bullying. Sometimes websites are passed along that SocialGuard knows are malicious or inappropriate, but the sender doesn't. An older aunt, outside a child's social circle, may wish to friend him. And different families have different levels of tolerance. That's why discussions matter. SocialGuard only warns. It doesn't stop these activities.
I am not so sanguine about the forthcoming toolbar, which I also tested. Managed in part by a separate company, it has various features, like a search box for the Bing search engine and a link to an app store selling Web-based games and other services, that are unrelated to the core mission of SocialGuard, and which I found both annoying and distracting from the purpose of the security service.
But, overall, if you're a parent with limited time who worries about your child's safety on Facebook, yet wants to give her some privacy, SocialGuard is worth trying.
Keep your kids safe with the help of one of our techs.
Visit GeeksOnCall.com now to schedule!
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, teens, parents, security, kids, facebook, parents, security...
Monday, August 8, 2011
Saving money on back-to-school computing http://bit.ly/rkR2tY
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Saving money on back-to-school computing
cnn.com - 8/6/2011
Mario Armstrong
Digital Lifestyle Expert Mario Armstrong helps you decide if you should get a laptop or a tablet computer.
http://ping.fm/Baqph
Let us help you make these decisions. Visit GeeksOnCall.com
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, teens, parents, security…
Mario Armstrong
Digital Lifestyle Expert Mario Armstrong helps you decide if you should get a laptop or a tablet computer.
http://ping.fm/Baqph
Let us help you make these decisions. Visit GeeksOnCall.com
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, teens, parents, security…
Friday, August 5, 2011
How parents can curb teens' risky online activity http://bit.ly/qkGAuP
Protect your teen and your data!
Visit GeeksOnCall.com
Protect your teen and your data!
Visit GeeksOnCall.com
How parents can curb teens' risky online activity
Where would most of us be without our computers? Totally lost, probably.
We depend on our computers for work and play. The computer is where we shop, where we bank, where we store the addresses for our holiday greeting-card mailings, and so on.
Yet despite being so dependent on computers, many users still shrug off the need to be vigilant about security and potential threats.
One exposure to a virus, worm or Trojan can open up a computer to attacks from hackers -- a problem that gets worse if the home computer is linked to a parent's office network or contains sensitive work data.
Malware has moved far beyond hiding inside an email attachment. These days, a computer can be infected by a Trojan embedded into a trusted website. And many of the sites that teenagers like to visit are loaded with malware.
False sense of security
GFI Software of Cary, N.C., decided to see how families with teenagers approach computer security.
Their findings, revealed in GFI's 2011 Parent-Teen Internet Safety Report, showed that most families have a false sense of security -- which puts the family, its information and perhaps even the parents' workplaces at risk.
For example, three-quarters of parents and teenagers surveyed by GFI said they were confident their computer wouldn't be infected by a computer virus -- which totally contradicted the simultaneous finding that two-thirds of the respondents admitted that their computers had been infected at least once.
"The results clearly indicate a false sense of security," said Eric Howes, research business analyst at GFI. "Many people believe if they just have any anti-virus product installed, that they have nothing to worry about.
"However, many parents do not realize that the anti-virus software that was preloaded on their new PC has expired," Howes said. "They are no longer obtaining the latest virus definitions to protect them against new malware threats."
Howes thinks there are a couple of computer security risks that parents are missing or not doing enough to prevent.
First, the number of attack points has increased.
"The home computer is no longer the only means to access the Internet," Howes said. "More and more kids have smartphones with full Internet access and messaging capability, and they can browse and chat without their parents looking over their shoulders."
Although malware attacks on smartphones are on the rise, there are more serious threats to consider, such as cyberbullying and sexting. Parents are often either unaware of these threats or don't have the technical know-how to prevent them.
Second, kids are becoming more and more tech-savvy. They are using computers and devices for most of the day -- at home, at school, at their friends' houses.
Teenagers are fast learners, and if there are ways to cover their tracks and do things behind their parents' backs, they'll find them. This makes it much harder for parents to learn what their kids are up to, let alone control them.
Catch up to the kids
It is absolutely vital that parents be as tech-savvy as their children, said Lynette T. Owens, director of Internet Safety for Kids & Families, an online resource hosted by Trend Micro, a global digital-security firm based in Tokyo.
"Parents should become users of the same tools that their kids will use," Owens said. "You don't have to be a power user to understand social networks. Just spend a few minutes setting up an account so you can understand how it works, how to set up privacy settings, etc. The same goes for tools like Twitter, Google+, Flickr, video and music streaming services, etc.
"It is difficult to teach a teen how to drive if you've never driven yourself. And driving is an important life skill," Owens added. "So we teach kids to understand the rules, consider safety (check mirrors, keep maintenance of car up-to-date, obey speed limits, never text while driving) and practice. The same concepts apply to technology."
Sedgrid Lewis, founder of Atlanta-based Spy Parent LLC, recommends three steps parents can take to be sure computer-related risky behavior is kept to a minimum.
First, parents need to install anti-virus software if they don't have it already.
"Parents have to download a premium anti-virus package to protect their computers," Lewis said. "Free software is good, but you have to get the premium software for ultimate protection."
Lewis also urges that parents keep an eye on how many browsers are on a computer.
"Teens are notorious for downloading different browsers to get around their parents' parental controls," he said. "If the house is using Internet Explorer, then there should not be another browser on the computer."
Finally, parents should create an administrative-rights account on the family computer, and limit the privileges of all other accounts.
"Only the administrator (hopefully the parent) will have access to download any software on the computer," Lewis said.
Howes recommended that parents also install Web-monitoring software. The software runs in the background so most teenagers have no idea it's there, but it tells parents exactly what their kids are doing online.
Finally, Lewis said, parents need to be better online role models.
"Most parents are engaging in dangerous computer practices themselves," he said. "For example, [they are] engaging in piracy by downloading free music from peer-to-peer sites such as Limewire.
"Parents have no clue that these sites have a ton of viruses," Lewis said. "Unfortunately, some parents will only address the issue when they are hit with the bill for computer repair."
Protect your teen and your data- visit GeeksOnCall.com
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, teens, parents, security...
We depend on our computers for work and play. The computer is where we shop, where we bank, where we store the addresses for our holiday greeting-card mailings, and so on.
Yet despite being so dependent on computers, many users still shrug off the need to be vigilant about security and potential threats.
One exposure to a virus, worm or Trojan can open up a computer to attacks from hackers -- a problem that gets worse if the home computer is linked to a parent's office network or contains sensitive work data.
Malware has moved far beyond hiding inside an email attachment. These days, a computer can be infected by a Trojan embedded into a trusted website. And many of the sites that teenagers like to visit are loaded with malware.
False sense of security
GFI Software of Cary, N.C., decided to see how families with teenagers approach computer security.
Their findings, revealed in GFI's 2011 Parent-Teen Internet Safety Report, showed that most families have a false sense of security -- which puts the family, its information and perhaps even the parents' workplaces at risk.
For example, three-quarters of parents and teenagers surveyed by GFI said they were confident their computer wouldn't be infected by a computer virus -- which totally contradicted the simultaneous finding that two-thirds of the respondents admitted that their computers had been infected at least once.
"The results clearly indicate a false sense of security," said Eric Howes, research business analyst at GFI. "Many people believe if they just have any anti-virus product installed, that they have nothing to worry about.
"However, many parents do not realize that the anti-virus software that was preloaded on their new PC has expired," Howes said. "They are no longer obtaining the latest virus definitions to protect them against new malware threats."
Howes thinks there are a couple of computer security risks that parents are missing or not doing enough to prevent.
First, the number of attack points has increased.
"The home computer is no longer the only means to access the Internet," Howes said. "More and more kids have smartphones with full Internet access and messaging capability, and they can browse and chat without their parents looking over their shoulders."
Although malware attacks on smartphones are on the rise, there are more serious threats to consider, such as cyberbullying and sexting. Parents are often either unaware of these threats or don't have the technical know-how to prevent them.
Second, kids are becoming more and more tech-savvy. They are using computers and devices for most of the day -- at home, at school, at their friends' houses.
Teenagers are fast learners, and if there are ways to cover their tracks and do things behind their parents' backs, they'll find them. This makes it much harder for parents to learn what their kids are up to, let alone control them.
Catch up to the kids
It is absolutely vital that parents be as tech-savvy as their children, said Lynette T. Owens, director of Internet Safety for Kids & Families, an online resource hosted by Trend Micro, a global digital-security firm based in Tokyo.
"Parents should become users of the same tools that their kids will use," Owens said. "You don't have to be a power user to understand social networks. Just spend a few minutes setting up an account so you can understand how it works, how to set up privacy settings, etc. The same goes for tools like Twitter, Google+, Flickr, video and music streaming services, etc.
"It is difficult to teach a teen how to drive if you've never driven yourself. And driving is an important life skill," Owens added. "So we teach kids to understand the rules, consider safety (check mirrors, keep maintenance of car up-to-date, obey speed limits, never text while driving) and practice. The same concepts apply to technology."
Sedgrid Lewis, founder of Atlanta-based Spy Parent LLC, recommends three steps parents can take to be sure computer-related risky behavior is kept to a minimum.
First, parents need to install anti-virus software if they don't have it already.
"Parents have to download a premium anti-virus package to protect their computers," Lewis said. "Free software is good, but you have to get the premium software for ultimate protection."
Lewis also urges that parents keep an eye on how many browsers are on a computer.
"Teens are notorious for downloading different browsers to get around their parents' parental controls," he said. "If the house is using Internet Explorer, then there should not be another browser on the computer."
Finally, parents should create an administrative-rights account on the family computer, and limit the privileges of all other accounts.
"Only the administrator (hopefully the parent) will have access to download any software on the computer," Lewis said.
Howes recommended that parents also install Web-monitoring software. The software runs in the background so most teenagers have no idea it's there, but it tells parents exactly what their kids are doing online.
Finally, Lewis said, parents need to be better online role models.
"Most parents are engaging in dangerous computer practices themselves," he said. "For example, [they are] engaging in piracy by downloading free music from peer-to-peer sites such as Limewire.
"Parents have no clue that these sites have a ton of viruses," Lewis said. "Unfortunately, some parents will only address the issue when they are hit with the bill for computer repair."
Protect your teen and your data- visit GeeksOnCall.com
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, teens, parents, security...
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Trading Post Website Hacked, Credit Card Numbers Posted Online http://bit.ly/mSYWNs
Put data safety first!
geeksoncall.com
1-800-905-4335
Put data safety first!
geeksoncall.com
1-800-905-4335
Was your credit card number exposed in website hacking?
The Mid Virginia Trading Post and Attorney General's office are trying to find out who hacked into the Online Classified website and put hundreds of subscribers at risk of identity theft.
More than 700 Subscribers, most of them from Virginia, had critical financial information floating in cyberspace for three weeks.
The Attorney General's office says so far it has only found one victim who may have had fraudulent charges posted to their card.
Investigators are asking anyone who recently subscribed to the Trading Post to check their financial statements.
General manager of the Trading Post Tina Doub says they are working to find out how their web security was breached and are looking into ways to make their site more secure so something like this never happens again.
Put data security first!
call 1-800-905-4335 or visit geeksoncall.com
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, hacked, credit card...
More than 700 Subscribers, most of them from Virginia, had critical financial information floating in cyberspace for three weeks.
The Attorney General's office says so far it has only found one victim who may have had fraudulent charges posted to their card.
Investigators are asking anyone who recently subscribed to the Trading Post to check their financial statements.
General manager of the Trading Post Tina Doub says they are working to find out how their web security was breached and are looking into ways to make their site more secure so something like this never happens again.
Put data security first!
call 1-800-905-4335 or visit geeksoncall.com
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, hacked, credit card...
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Creepy Android malware records your phone calls http://bit.ly/pPwrch
Concerned about your privacy?
See geeksoncall.com or 1-800-905-4335
Concerned about your privacy?
See geeksoncall.com or 1-800-905-4335
Creepy Android malware records your phone calls
msnbc.com - 8/2/2011
Rosa Golijan
What if your beloved phone suddenly turned against you and began recording your calls without your knowledge? If you get tricked into downloading a nasty piece of Android malware, it just might.
According to researchers at CA Technologies, this latest Android security threat is significantly more advanced than previously seen Trojans -- which merely snooped on text-based details such as call duration or incoming/outgoing call logs -- and takes steps to record and build an archive of your actual phone conversations.
The malware basically cajoles users into allowing it to be installed by behaving like a legit Android app, creates a "configuration" file for itself so that it can operate properly, and then starts spying on you the instant you make an outgoing call.
Phone calls are recorded as AMR files -- AMR is a file format frequently used for storing spoken audio -- and placed directly onto your device's SD card into a freshly created directory called "hangzhou/callrecord."There aren't details regarding what happens once the audio files are saved. The folks at CA Technologies don't elaborate on whether the malware attempts to send the recording anywhere, but it wouldn't be surprising if this was a "eature" built into this or future versions of the Trojan.
The creepy speculation aside, what can you do to protect yourself and keep your phone from spying on you? Not too much beyond what you should already be doing: Following the advice of good ol' Mad-Eye Moody of Harry Potter fame and staying "always vigilant!"
Pay close attention to the apps you install on your mobile device and make sure that they're coming from a trusted source. Are they requesting you to grant broad permissions? Don't download any apps that aren't already getting lots of downloads and reviews -- the more obscure the app, the more potentially dangerous. And if you're interested in some unfamiliar or niche app that may not be very popular, do some research. After all, a quick Google search never hurt anyone.
Concerned about your privacy?
Visit GeeksOnCall.com or call 1-800-905-4335
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, ……….
Rosa Golijan
What if your beloved phone suddenly turned against you and began recording your calls without your knowledge? If you get tricked into downloading a nasty piece of Android malware, it just might.
According to researchers at CA Technologies, this latest Android security threat is significantly more advanced than previously seen Trojans -- which merely snooped on text-based details such as call duration or incoming/outgoing call logs -- and takes steps to record and build an archive of your actual phone conversations.
The malware basically cajoles users into allowing it to be installed by behaving like a legit Android app, creates a "configuration" file for itself so that it can operate properly, and then starts spying on you the instant you make an outgoing call.
Phone calls are recorded as AMR files -- AMR is a file format frequently used for storing spoken audio -- and placed directly onto your device's SD card into a freshly created directory called "hangzhou/callrecord."There aren't details regarding what happens once the audio files are saved. The folks at CA Technologies don't elaborate on whether the malware attempts to send the recording anywhere, but it wouldn't be surprising if this was a "eature" built into this or future versions of the Trojan.
The creepy speculation aside, what can you do to protect yourself and keep your phone from spying on you? Not too much beyond what you should already be doing: Following the advice of good ol' Mad-Eye Moody of Harry Potter fame and staying "always vigilant!"
Pay close attention to the apps you install on your mobile device and make sure that they're coming from a trusted source. Are they requesting you to grant broad permissions? Don't download any apps that aren't already getting lots of downloads and reviews -- the more obscure the app, the more potentially dangerous. And if you're interested in some unfamiliar or niche app that may not be very popular, do some research. After all, a quick Google search never hurt anyone.
Concerned about your privacy?
Visit GeeksOnCall.com or call 1-800-905-4335
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, ……….
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Round Up! Get Your Video Chat On: http://bit.ly/ppiraA
Need help getting connected?
Visit geeksoncall.com or call 1-800-905-4335
Need help getting connected?
Visit geeksoncall.com or call 1-800-905-4335
Round Up! Get Your Chat On
zatznotfunny.com - 8/2/2011
Mari Silbey
For those of us who grew up with the Jetsons, the cliche futuristic image of Jane talking on the video phone has persisted even into 2011. But naturally it wasn't until Apple introduced FaceTime that a real video chat market started to take shape. Yes, Skype video has always had a dedicated user base, but FaceTime was the catalyst for other players to join the game. Here's a look at a few of the current companies and new offerings in the video chat space.
G+
Google took video calling a step forward with the launch of Hangouts in its new Google Plus social network last month. Create a free Hangout, and you can video chat with multiple people at once. Only problem? Yeah, you have to be a G+ user. If a recent Mashable poll is any indicator, users love Hangouts, but G+ is already getting a rep for only attracting techy types, and that's a serious limiting factor. Google has said it will open up G+ video chat to third-party apps. Perhaps that will propel the technology beyond the techy cohort.
Facebook with Skype (er, Microsoft)
Not to be outdone by Google, Facebook followed the G+ launch with its own video chat service powered by Skype. The new, free feature has the advantage of debuting with a ridiculously large user base, and it's sure to drive up bandwidth usage among a subset of Facebook fans. Meanwhile, the fact that Microsoft has acquired Skype means that the technology itself will continue to get integrated in non-Facebook apps as well. Microsoft has already said "Skype will support Microsoft devices like Xbox and Kinect"Â
Two to Tango
A friend introduced me to Tango last year, and it is still my favorite video calling app because of the cross-platform support. I live in a mixed-platform household, and with Tango I can still reach my family's iPhone users with my HTC Thunderbolt. The app is free and extremely easy to use, and it automatically shows me who in my contact list is already a Tango user. Apparently I'm not the only one to like Tango either. The company announced another funding round of $42 million less than two weeks ago. Tango also says it will be available for PC users in the next few weeks.
Comcast Goes Technicolor (More Skype)
Cablecos have every incentive to make money off the increasing video traffic traveling over their networks, and so an operator-based video calling service is no big surprise. Back at The Cable Show, Comcast demoed a new "Skype on Xfinity" app for video calls on your big-screen TV. The service will start in trial form later this year, and we discovered last week that Technicolor (formerly Thomson) will provide the adapter device needed to make it work. No word on pricing.
Verizon Test LTE Video Chat
Although it's only in demo form now, Verizon is apparently testing out a new video chat feature for its 4G phones. At the recent opening of its LTE Innovation Center, Verizon showed off a pretty sweet looking video app on the HTC Thunderbolt. Details are decidedly scarce, but if the app works as showed, it could be a contender.
Need help getting connected?
Visit geeksoncall.com or call 1-800-905-4335
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, ..........
Mari Silbey
For those of us who grew up with the Jetsons, the cliche futuristic image of Jane talking on the video phone has persisted even into 2011. But naturally it wasn't until Apple introduced FaceTime that a real video chat market started to take shape. Yes, Skype video has always had a dedicated user base, but FaceTime was the catalyst for other players to join the game. Here's a look at a few of the current companies and new offerings in the video chat space.
G+
Google took video calling a step forward with the launch of Hangouts in its new Google Plus social network last month. Create a free Hangout, and you can video chat with multiple people at once. Only problem? Yeah, you have to be a G+ user. If a recent Mashable poll is any indicator, users love Hangouts, but G+ is already getting a rep for only attracting techy types, and that's a serious limiting factor. Google has said it will open up G+ video chat to third-party apps. Perhaps that will propel the technology beyond the techy cohort.
Facebook with Skype (er, Microsoft)
Not to be outdone by Google, Facebook followed the G+ launch with its own video chat service powered by Skype. The new, free feature has the advantage of debuting with a ridiculously large user base, and it's sure to drive up bandwidth usage among a subset of Facebook fans. Meanwhile, the fact that Microsoft has acquired Skype means that the technology itself will continue to get integrated in non-Facebook apps as well. Microsoft has already said "Skype will support Microsoft devices like Xbox and Kinect"Â
Two to Tango
A friend introduced me to Tango last year, and it is still my favorite video calling app because of the cross-platform support. I live in a mixed-platform household, and with Tango I can still reach my family's iPhone users with my HTC Thunderbolt. The app is free and extremely easy to use, and it automatically shows me who in my contact list is already a Tango user. Apparently I'm not the only one to like Tango either. The company announced another funding round of $42 million less than two weeks ago. Tango also says it will be available for PC users in the next few weeks.
Comcast Goes Technicolor (More Skype)
Cablecos have every incentive to make money off the increasing video traffic traveling over their networks, and so an operator-based video calling service is no big surprise. Back at The Cable Show, Comcast demoed a new "Skype on Xfinity" app for video calls on your big-screen TV. The service will start in trial form later this year, and we discovered last week that Technicolor (formerly Thomson) will provide the adapter device needed to make it work. No word on pricing.
Verizon Test LTE Video Chat
Although it's only in demo form now, Verizon is apparently testing out a new video chat feature for its 4G phones. At the recent opening of its LTE Innovation Center, Verizon showed off a pretty sweet looking video app on the HTC Thunderbolt. Details are decidedly scarce, but if the app works as showed, it could be a contender.
Need help getting connected?
Visit geeksoncall.com or call 1-800-905-4335
Keywords: geeksoncall, geeks on call, geeksoncall.com, 800-905-geek, computer repair, computer service, home computer repair, home computer service, information technology, business network service, virus removal, network, wireless network, ..........
Monday, August 1, 2011
Pinning Down the Cloud http://bit.ly/nusDhW
Our techs can help you and your company transition to the cloud!
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Our techs can help you and your company transition to the cloud!
Visit geeksoncall.com
Pinning Down the Cloud
wsj.com - 2/15/2011
MICHELLE PRICE
The world of information technology is stuffed with bewildering acronyms and new-fangled fads, but cloud computing is one technology phenomenon not to be dismissed.
Likened by some technophiles to the Industrial Revolution, cloud computing is already transforming the world around us and it promises to shape our future world too. Despite its growing importance, however, many companies are struggling to pin down exactly how this technological miracle can truly benefit their balance sheets.
The practice of cloud computing is something with which consumers all over the world are already relatively familiar, even if the term itself leaves the lay technophobe scratching their head. Sending an email using a third-party Web-based email service provider, such as Google Mail, for example, is a basic form of cloud computing.
In this example, a user accesses a Web-based application maintained by a third-party via his or her Internet connection and browser. The email application itself and all the data it stores exists not on the user's own computer but is delivered as a service via "the cloud" of the Internet. "Cloud computing represents a paradigm shift in how IT infrastructure and software are delivered and consumed," says Christian Klezl, vice president and cloud leader, for International Business Machines Corp. in Northeast Europe.
This shift is most pronounced when viewed within the context of corporate IT. Companies have traditionally purchased or developed software application products and maintained that software themselves. Most large companies, for example, operate and maintain their own corporate email systems.
The cloud-computing model represents the "natural evolution" from this proprietary approach to software provision, says Mr. Klezl, by enabling IT products to be consumed as services. These services are provided by a third party over the Internet and can be consumed on-demand and on a pay-as-you-go basis.
"Cloud computing is built on the concept that you have a distributed spectrum of users who can source data or services from a centralized pool of resources, at any time in any place, when they need it," he says.
Power provision is a commonly used analogy. Most homes and companies do not build and run their own onsite power generation but instead source electricity from the grid when they need it. This model allows consumers and companies with varying power requirements to scale their power consumption up and down at their convenience, and to pay only for what they use.
Cloud-computing advocates envisage the IT phenomenon in the same terms: "With cloud computing we're seeing a shift from an IT product-led world into an IT service or utility world," says Simon Wardley, a researcher at CSC's Leading Edge Forum, a global research and advisory program for chief information officers.
The building blocks of cloud computing have existed for nearly a decade, but the IT model has only gained major traction in recent years as its enabling technologies, such as broadband, have developed, and as business processes and attitudes have matured.
Together, these developments have conspired to promote cloud computing as a major force in the global IT market, from NATO to manufacturing giants such as Siemens AG. By 2015 some 50% of Global 1000 enterprises are expected to use cloud computing for their top 10 revenue-generating processes, according to Gartner Inc.
For such institutions, cloud services offer many benefits, not the least of which is cheaper IT. "Cloud gives you economies of scale and allows companies to establish a closer link between what they use and what they pay," says Mr. Wardley.
By allowing companies to mobilize IT resources quickly, cloud computing also improves business agility. "From an institutional standpoint, the benefits of cloud computing are concrete," says Alan Goldstein, chief information officer for BNY Mellon Asset Management. "You're able to more rapidly deploy infrastructure and applications and to scale-up horizontally. That ability to be able to rapidly provision is really meaningful in terms of expediting speed to market."
Because cloud-computing is a Web-enabled phenomenon, the model also allows companies to access their IT services and the data stored in it from anywhere in the world. "The key for us is to be able to run our business and access our business data anywhere in the world," says Dominic Shine, chief information officer for Reed Exhibitions, a conference company that uses around 10 different types of cloud-based services.
But while improved cost-efficiency and greater business agility are attractive, what really excites cloud enthusiasts are the macro-economic possibilities.
Many cloud evangelists believe that the phenomenon enables companies to boost overall productivity by allowing them to satisfy what Mr. Wardley describes as the "long tail" of unmet demand for IT resources found within most firms. This has led some experts to liken cloud computing to the Industrial Revolution.
Far-fetched though this may sound, research published by the London-based Centre for Economics and Business Research in December seems partly to reinforce this view. It predicts that the increased productivity, job creation, business development and competitive advantage brought about by cloud computing will generate an additional €763 billion ($1.04 trillion) in economic value and will create some 2.4 million jobs in Europe during the next five years.
But not everyone will benefit equally. Cloud-computing--like the Internet it is enabled by--is a disruptive technology. By making IT cheap and accessible, cloud services threaten to lower the barriers to entry in a number of industries and in some instances may undermine the prevailing operating model.
"One of the unique things about cloud computing is that it's a very democratic technology," says George Hu, executive vice president for platform and marketing at Salesforce.com, the 10-year old enterprise cloud-computing company that is widely regarded as a poster-child of the phenomenon. "It's the first technology that can service companies of all sizes."
Reed Exhibitions' Mr. Shine agrees: "Years ago, if you were a small company, you had access to a small number of vendors because that's all you could afford. But today, small companies can access the powerful IT of their larger rivals. If I were setting up a start-up, I would run the whole thing from the cloud."
Barriers are also set to be pulled down in the consumer world where cloud computing promises to make software increasingly accessible and easy to use. Take Google Inc., another icon of the cloud-computing age. In December, the IT services giant launched a prototype laptop that requires no software to be installed whatsoever: All applications and data are stored and delivered by Google via the Internet.
The Google prototype provides a glimpse of a future in which users are not required to pay up-front for software, or negotiate painful software installations, upgrades and anti-virus programs. Instead, all applications and data will be stored in the cloud, which consumers will be able to access from any location.
Mobile technologies are rapidly making this a reality. The emergence of the super-functional smartphone and tablets, such as the iPhone and iPad, are bringing cloud-based applications, such as the hyper-successful social networking application Facebook and the micro-blogging application Twitter, onto mobile devices--along with a wide range of other applications. By moving onto mobile devices, applications guarantee their own ubiquity and relevance.
In time, more and more cloud-led IT services will follow suit, including business applications, says Mr. Hu. "The Facebook model is now the new model for the future: Why can't business applications be like Facebook? That is, inherently social, in the cloud, and accessed more and more through mobile devices."
Cloud computing is still an evolving IT model, however, and some IT chiefs believe it will take time for all companies, particularly highly regulated industries such as financial services, to embrace it.
"The cloud will be important in people's IT strategy: The prize is pretty considerable," says Michael Fahy, global head of IT infrastructure at investment bank Nomura. "But the commercial model is not yet sufficiently developed to operate on the scale we want to operate on, and there are still questions around data security."
The European Union shares these concerns; last year it recommended the creation of standards and a regulatory framework for cloud computing. But this is unlikely to impede the technology's advance, believes Mr. Wardley: "Do you have a choice when it comes to the advance of cloud computing? Not really."
Our techs can help you and your company transition to the cloud!
Visit geeksoncall.com or call 1-800-905-4335
MICHELLE PRICE
The world of information technology is stuffed with bewildering acronyms and new-fangled fads, but cloud computing is one technology phenomenon not to be dismissed.
Likened by some technophiles to the Industrial Revolution, cloud computing is already transforming the world around us and it promises to shape our future world too. Despite its growing importance, however, many companies are struggling to pin down exactly how this technological miracle can truly benefit their balance sheets.
The practice of cloud computing is something with which consumers all over the world are already relatively familiar, even if the term itself leaves the lay technophobe scratching their head. Sending an email using a third-party Web-based email service provider, such as Google Mail, for example, is a basic form of cloud computing.
In this example, a user accesses a Web-based application maintained by a third-party via his or her Internet connection and browser. The email application itself and all the data it stores exists not on the user's own computer but is delivered as a service via "the cloud" of the Internet. "Cloud computing represents a paradigm shift in how IT infrastructure and software are delivered and consumed," says Christian Klezl, vice president and cloud leader, for International Business Machines Corp. in Northeast Europe.
This shift is most pronounced when viewed within the context of corporate IT. Companies have traditionally purchased or developed software application products and maintained that software themselves. Most large companies, for example, operate and maintain their own corporate email systems.
The cloud-computing model represents the "natural evolution" from this proprietary approach to software provision, says Mr. Klezl, by enabling IT products to be consumed as services. These services are provided by a third party over the Internet and can be consumed on-demand and on a pay-as-you-go basis.
"Cloud computing is built on the concept that you have a distributed spectrum of users who can source data or services from a centralized pool of resources, at any time in any place, when they need it," he says.
Power provision is a commonly used analogy. Most homes and companies do not build and run their own onsite power generation but instead source electricity from the grid when they need it. This model allows consumers and companies with varying power requirements to scale their power consumption up and down at their convenience, and to pay only for what they use.
Cloud-computing advocates envisage the IT phenomenon in the same terms: "With cloud computing we're seeing a shift from an IT product-led world into an IT service or utility world," says Simon Wardley, a researcher at CSC's Leading Edge Forum, a global research and advisory program for chief information officers.
The building blocks of cloud computing have existed for nearly a decade, but the IT model has only gained major traction in recent years as its enabling technologies, such as broadband, have developed, and as business processes and attitudes have matured.
Together, these developments have conspired to promote cloud computing as a major force in the global IT market, from NATO to manufacturing giants such as Siemens AG. By 2015 some 50% of Global 1000 enterprises are expected to use cloud computing for their top 10 revenue-generating processes, according to Gartner Inc.
For such institutions, cloud services offer many benefits, not the least of which is cheaper IT. "Cloud gives you economies of scale and allows companies to establish a closer link between what they use and what they pay," says Mr. Wardley.
By allowing companies to mobilize IT resources quickly, cloud computing also improves business agility. "From an institutional standpoint, the benefits of cloud computing are concrete," says Alan Goldstein, chief information officer for BNY Mellon Asset Management. "You're able to more rapidly deploy infrastructure and applications and to scale-up horizontally. That ability to be able to rapidly provision is really meaningful in terms of expediting speed to market."
Because cloud-computing is a Web-enabled phenomenon, the model also allows companies to access their IT services and the data stored in it from anywhere in the world. "The key for us is to be able to run our business and access our business data anywhere in the world," says Dominic Shine, chief information officer for Reed Exhibitions, a conference company that uses around 10 different types of cloud-based services.
But while improved cost-efficiency and greater business agility are attractive, what really excites cloud enthusiasts are the macro-economic possibilities.
Many cloud evangelists believe that the phenomenon enables companies to boost overall productivity by allowing them to satisfy what Mr. Wardley describes as the "long tail" of unmet demand for IT resources found within most firms. This has led some experts to liken cloud computing to the Industrial Revolution.
Far-fetched though this may sound, research published by the London-based Centre for Economics and Business Research in December seems partly to reinforce this view. It predicts that the increased productivity, job creation, business development and competitive advantage brought about by cloud computing will generate an additional €763 billion ($1.04 trillion) in economic value and will create some 2.4 million jobs in Europe during the next five years.
But not everyone will benefit equally. Cloud-computing--like the Internet it is enabled by--is a disruptive technology. By making IT cheap and accessible, cloud services threaten to lower the barriers to entry in a number of industries and in some instances may undermine the prevailing operating model.
"One of the unique things about cloud computing is that it's a very democratic technology," says George Hu, executive vice president for platform and marketing at Salesforce.com, the 10-year old enterprise cloud-computing company that is widely regarded as a poster-child of the phenomenon. "It's the first technology that can service companies of all sizes."
Reed Exhibitions' Mr. Shine agrees: "Years ago, if you were a small company, you had access to a small number of vendors because that's all you could afford. But today, small companies can access the powerful IT of their larger rivals. If I were setting up a start-up, I would run the whole thing from the cloud."
Barriers are also set to be pulled down in the consumer world where cloud computing promises to make software increasingly accessible and easy to use. Take Google Inc., another icon of the cloud-computing age. In December, the IT services giant launched a prototype laptop that requires no software to be installed whatsoever: All applications and data are stored and delivered by Google via the Internet.
The Google prototype provides a glimpse of a future in which users are not required to pay up-front for software, or negotiate painful software installations, upgrades and anti-virus programs. Instead, all applications and data will be stored in the cloud, which consumers will be able to access from any location.
Mobile technologies are rapidly making this a reality. The emergence of the super-functional smartphone and tablets, such as the iPhone and iPad, are bringing cloud-based applications, such as the hyper-successful social networking application Facebook and the micro-blogging application Twitter, onto mobile devices--along with a wide range of other applications. By moving onto mobile devices, applications guarantee their own ubiquity and relevance.
In time, more and more cloud-led IT services will follow suit, including business applications, says Mr. Hu. "The Facebook model is now the new model for the future: Why can't business applications be like Facebook? That is, inherently social, in the cloud, and accessed more and more through mobile devices."
Cloud computing is still an evolving IT model, however, and some IT chiefs believe it will take time for all companies, particularly highly regulated industries such as financial services, to embrace it.
"The cloud will be important in people's IT strategy: The prize is pretty considerable," says Michael Fahy, global head of IT infrastructure at investment bank Nomura. "But the commercial model is not yet sufficiently developed to operate on the scale we want to operate on, and there are still questions around data security."
The European Union shares these concerns; last year it recommended the creation of standards and a regulatory framework for cloud computing. But this is unlikely to impede the technology's advance, believes Mr. Wardley: "Do you have a choice when it comes to the advance of cloud computing? Not really."
Our techs can help you and your company transition to the cloud!
Visit geeksoncall.com or call 1-800-905-4335
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