Month: February 2014

Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Apple Drops Support / Updates For Snow Leopard

photo courtesy of applethis.com
photo courtesy of applethis.com

CNNMoney is reporting that Apple has pulled the plug on updates for OSX 10.6, better known as Snow Leopard. Snow Leopard was released in 2009 and it’s estimated to still be running on 19% of the world’s Apple computers. This really comes as no surprise as Apple has released three versions of OSX since, Lion, Mountain Lion and Mavericks. This really shouldn’t be an issue for most, as long as your Mac is a 2007 model or newer, you can just head over to the App Store and download and install OSX Mavericks for free. Upgrading to Mavericks is quick and painless and highly recommended to keep getting those security updates.

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

Google Now Launcher Available For All Nexus Devices

google-now-launcher-on-nexus-7Google released a standalone version of the Google Now Launcher on February 26, 2014 that supports all Nexus Android devices. The Google Now Launcher is available for Google Play Edition devices as well, but users should note that it is only supported on Nexus and Play Edition devices running Android 4.4 KitKat or later.

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Last Updated on July 4, 2014.

Google’s Sundar Pichai Says Android Not Designed To Be Safe, But What Does That Mean?

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photo courtesy of www.eyeonwindows.com

The blog’s are exploding with one short quote that Sundar Pichai has made about Android. Before I get any further, read the quote below.

We cannot guarantee that Android is designed to be safe, the format was designed to give more freedom. When people talk about 90% of malware for Android, they must of course take into account the fact that it is the most popular operating system in the world. If I had a company dedicated to malware, I would also be addressing my attacks on Android …

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

wi-fi-virus

Wi-Fi Virus? It Could Be Coming Your Way Soon

wi-fi-virus
photo courtesy of freedomsphoenix.com

University of Liverpool scientists have discovered they can produce a Wi-Fi virus that can move through dense wireless (unprotected) networks and infect multiple systems. The team designed a virus called Chameleon and found that it was able to spread rapidly from one network to another. The virus was also able to identify weak networks, those without encryption or passwords. The scientists found that Chameleon had human airborne virus qualities in its ability to infect one wireless network after another, much like the flu bug in humans. The closer the networks are to each the other the more likely the virus will spread through them. 

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

iPhone5s

It’s Been The Week For iOS7 Flaws As A Keylogging Flaw Is Discovered

iPhone5s
photo courtesy of uk.msn.com

Security company FireEye is reporting a new keylogging flaw inside iOS7 that would allow an app to record what you’re typing and send that data to the server of its choice. Both Gigaom and Ars Technica are reporting this via FireEye’s blog. This has been a serious past few days for Apple, iOS and OSX. First there was the SSL security flaw found in iOS7 and OSX, read more here. Apple managed to push out a fix very fast for the iOS7 SSL flaw but their OSX platform still remains unpatched. Now FireEye is just compounding the bad news for the company and they’re likely scrambling to get it researched and patched. It is important to note that this flaw only applies to apps that run the monitoring code to use the flaw. Here’s what FireEye had to say.

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

Stephen Elop Takes The Reigns Of Microsoft’s Devices and Studios Division

Stephen-Elop
photo courtesy of trustedreviews.com

Microsoft is experience some high level management shake ups this morning. First Julie Larson-Green has been moved to the position of Chief Experience Officer and now ex Nokia man Stephen Elop is taking the helm at the devices and studios division. This division includes Xbox and the Surface lineup. Larson-Green sent out a memo explaining the moves to her team (find that below). One things for certain, Microsoft’s new CEO Satya Nadella, seems to be working fast to restructure and place people where he feels they’ll be of best use. It remains to be seen if these choices are good or bad but at least there seems to be a battle plan. Not quiet sure what Elop has to offer in the gaming sector of Microsoft but I’m sure he has some good ideas for the Surface products. Elop has worked for Microsoft in the past as President of the Business division so he has insight and experience into Microsoft culture. What do you guys think of the upper management shake up at Microsoft? Let us know in the comments below! Read Larson-Green’s full memo after the break.

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

Google Lobbying Against Distracted Driver Legislation

Sergey-Brin-with-Google-Glasses
photo courtesy of extremetech.com

Reuters is reporting that Google is actively lobbying at least three states (Illinois, Missouri and Delaware) to stop suggested laws against driving with devices such as Google Glass. This is likely just the start of these types of legislative battles that Google is likely going to face. There are eight other states that are also considering such legislation against wearable computing such as Google Glass. Lawmakers are saying, users could become preoccupied with data coming into Glass rather than paying attention to the road which could lead to accidents. New York, Maryland and West Virginia also are in the midst of such legislation but Google has yet to deploy lobbyists to those states to defend their product.

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

Glam Galaxy S5 Group

Samsung Galaxy S5 Announced At Mobile World Congress

Glam_Galaxy-S5_Group
By far one of the most anticipated announcements coming out of Mobile World Congress is that of the Samsung Galaxy S5. Check out Samsung‘s full press release below and some pics of the new S5 below!
Barcelona, Spain, February 24, 2014 – Samsung Electronics today announced the fifth generation of the Galaxy S series, the Galaxy S5, designed for what matters most to consumers. The new Galaxy S5 offers consumers a refined experience with innovation of essential features for day-to-day use.

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

2 Xperia Z2 Tablet Water

Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet Makes Its Debut

Sony-Xperia-Z2

Sony unveiled their Xperia Z2 tablet hoping to entice would be Android tablet buyers into their arms. Powering the Z2 is a 2.3 GHz Qualcomm APQ8074+MSM8974AB  Quad-Core Adreno 320 processor. It has a 10.1 TFT display with 1920×1200 resolution. 8.1MP camera with a 2.2 in the front both full 1080p. The Xperia Z2 is also IPX5/IPX8 (waterproof) & IP5X (dust resistant). Sony is also calling it the thinnest tablet measuring in at 6.4mm. Check out Sony’s video below along with the press release. What do you think about the Sony Xperia Z2? Let us know on Google+, Twitter or Facebook.

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

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Kickstarter Review: Fuz Designs’ Everdock

Everdock

Kickstarter is an awesome way to discover new tech and after a successful venture with LimeAde I decided to show my support to another venture and invest in Fuz Design’s Everdock: Universal Dock.

While I am a proud owner of an HTC One, I am disappointed in the lack of accessories on the market for my handset.  From docks to cases, I was having a hard time finding something that catches my eye so when I came across Everdock, I was delighted.  This dock touts itself as universal catering to all devices by simply switching out the cord via the cable adapters.

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Last Updated on December 28, 2015.

Review: JLab EPIC Earbuds

JLab Audio is well known throughout both the tech and music industries for delivering quality audio accessories for hardcore audiophiles and the average consumer alike. The company designs some of the highest quality headphones and Bluetooth speakers on the market. Recently, JLab sent me a pair of their EPIC in-ear earbuds to test out. Spoiler alert: I was impressed.

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Last Updated on December 28, 2015.

Yoga Tablet 10 HD+

Lenovo Announces Yoga Tablet 10 HD+ At Mobile World Congress

 

Yoga Tablet 10 HD+

Lenovo announced their  next generation Yoga tablet today at Mobile World Congress, the Yoga 10 HD+. The original Yoga tablet was a hit and miss with some consumers. Some users were expecting a little more heat under the hood than Lenovo delivered the first time around. The Yoga 10 HD+ should hopefully remedy those issues with some bumped up specs and very nice hardware. With the purchase of Motorola you can certainly expect to see more of a push into the tablet and smartphone space from Lenovo. Having spoken to their marketing VP personally I know they’re very excited to move ahead in mobile and are doing R&D into what mobile users (especially Android users) want and need in their mobile products. Let’s hope they stay true to that motivation and start churning out some solid competitive products. Check out the specs below for the Yoga HD+ and read the press release from Lenovo below.

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

Duolingo logo

App Review: Learn A New Language With Duolingo

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The details of the English language are something that I have always been very good at, and consequently, I had always had an interest in other languages. Especially interesting to me is the language of my ancestors, specifically German. I had taken two German language courses in college, but had always found the pace too rapid to learn the language effectively. Sure, I’d gotten some key base knowledge down, but the courses weren’t at a pace that suited me.

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Last Updated on July 4, 2014.

AppleShip copy beats

Apple SSL Security Flaw Leaves Your Device Vulnerable

AppleShip copy

Apple users have something to worry about this morning as a new flaw in iOS and OSX has been revealed. The flaw could allow a hacker to intercept information that is supposed to be encrypted such as email and banking information. Hackers could also intercept social networking information. But keep in mind, this flaw is only usable if you’re sharing an unsecured network with other users, such as a coffee shop or public library. Good news is Apple has already patched and released an update to fix the SSL issue. You should check your iDevice for the update, iOS 7.0.6 here’s what Apple had to say about this new update.

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

iRigHD6

Review: iRigHD And AmpliTube For iPad

iRigHD1

One of my passions in life has always been music. I grew up around a family of musicians…uncles, aunts, cousins, dad, and my brothers were all musicians. So, naturally, I followed that path. I started playing drums when I was seven years old and graduated when I was 11 to the king-of-the-hill (in my eyes), the guitar. If you would have told me twenty-eight years ago that I would be playing my guitar through a small TV-like device that emulated the sounds of  The Eagles, Pink Floyd, and Aerosmith, I would have called you insane.

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

Google Buys spider.io British Ad Fraud Company

photo from http://www.wallpaper.ge/
photo from http://www.wallpaper.ge/

Google continues to reach into its pockets to buy yet another tech company. In this case they’ve purchased a British company that detects ad fraud in online advertisements. We know Google is built on advertising online, it’s their bread and butter. So it makes perfect sense to continue to strengthen that investment by implementing this software that is supposed to detect fraudulent advertising practices. This will not only benefit Google but also their advertising partners as well as those websites using Google’s ad program. Probably won’t make the any of those people trying to take advantage of the system very happy but we’re not worried about them. DoubleClick/Google’s full press release is below.

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

Limefuel-IP66-Rugged

Kickstarter: Limefuel IP66 Rugged External Battery

Limefuel-IP66-Rugged

There are a ton of external battery options out on the market, just browse Amazon and you’ll find them practically jumping out of your screen! We’ve reviewed a few here on Techaeris and sometimes we investigate new stuff coming out. We ran across a company called Limefuel yesterday and found their latest Kickstarter project for their IP66 Rugged. The battery itself looks amazing, you can read more about it after the break. What really impressed me was the fact that these guys launched their Kickstarter campaign and in just one day hit their $30,000 goal!

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

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Kickstarter: Padcaster Mini Turns Your iPad Mini Into A Film Rig

 

Kickstarter is a great place to find very cool new products and be a part of helping those products get off the ground. Josh Apter successfully made the Padcasterir?t=techaeris 20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00AQADEES through his Kickstarter for that product not too long ago and now he’s back to try and fund his newest project, the Padcaster Mini. You can read a little about it below and catch the Kickstarter link after the break.

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

Steve-Perlman-pCell

Artemis Networks pCell Technology Could Relieve Mobile Congestion

Steve-Perlman-pCell

Steve Perlman of Artemis Networks has just announced his new pCell mobile broadband technology. pCell promises to deliver full-speed wireless broadband service to users even on a congested network, so no more lagging YouTube videos on your train ride home. Perlman has been developing pCell over the last few years when it was originally known as DIDO. Imagine a wireless network with no lag, no dead zones and a constant strong wireless connection, that’s what Perlman is promising with pCell.

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

GS4PC package group1

More Power! TYLT Energi Sliding Power Case For Galaxy S4

There are those that use their smart phones as really nothing more than a vehicle for talking and texting. They might fire up a navigation app every now and then, or post to social media, but by and large they cruise through the day with nary a worry of battery longevity or charging solutions. I am not one of those people.

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Last Updated on December 28, 2015.

Rogers Pays Over $3billion In Canadian 700 MHz Spectrum Auction

courtesy of quebec.huffingtonpost.ca
courtesy of quebec.huffingtonpost.ca

Canada’s Wireless landscape is lighting up with Rogers paying over 3 billion dollars for 22 licences and Bell paying just under 566 million. Telus comes in at 1.1 billion while the not so surprising news is Videotron winning licences in British Colombia, Alberta, Southern & Northern Ontario as well as Quebec. Could this mean a forth Canadian national provider? Check out the entire Canadian Government’s report after the break.

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Google Looking To Expand Its Fiber Availability To 34 More Cities

Fiber-Google-Map

San Jose Mercury News is reporting Google is courting the city of San Jose to receive its Google Fiber services along with 33 other cities. For those who do not know what Google Fiber is, in a nutshell, it’s supersonic internet. With speeds up to 1000mbps it pretty much blows your current ISP speeds out of the water. Hopefully these 34 cities are not a stopping point for the service, there are many more people who love to get this kind of speed.

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.

Samsung

Samsung Pokes Some Pencil Humor At Apple In Their Latest Ad

Capture

By now most everyone is aware of the Apple and Samsung wars, well most everyone who’s a mobile phone geek that is. The rest of the world generally goes on about their daily lives because none of this is that important. But I digress. Let’s get back to the lighthearted mud slinging shall we. We all know (us geeks) about Apple’s iPad Air commercial in which they used a pencil to show how thin the device really was.

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Last Updated on January 23, 2017.