Top 5 IT Threats to Watch Out for in 2014

As the IT industry continues to expand successfully, negative effects also come along with the various improvements in technology, creating avenues for cyber threats and crimes. In WebsenseInc’s 2014 Security Predictions Report, the company determined key threats that organizations should observe including the increased volume of malware, data destruction, and cloud data predators.

Meanwhile, a different set of data from Verizon’s 2013 Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR) revealed that speed and sophistication are the themes of these attacks, and it seems that they will still be prevalent for this year. As the company noted, “understanding the sophistication of the attackers and their tactics will help you to adopt a smarter approach to protecting your business”.

 

Source:http://www.cnmeonline.com/

To get you on the right track this year, here are some of the threats that you need to be aware of.

1. “Bring your own cloud”

Cloud services resulted from the convergence of cloud computing and mobile devices, allows you to store and retrieve information efficiently. However,

Personalized ads might be coming to Gmail Android

Recently updated, the Gmail application for Android carries signs of the imminent arrival of advertising.

The Android Police website, analyzed the last updated Gmail for Android 4.6. The site was not disappointed, since among the novelties of this version, they came back with clues about the arrival of advertising on the app.

A new library named "ads" - has appeared. In it, a series of XML files evoking multiple ad formats, but also a command that refers to the page of the user's preferences, suggesting that the custom settings (used for targeting) could be part of .
 

Even thought Google has already started sending Sponsored mails via Gmail, the service does not appear, for the moment, to include advertising. This situation could change in the future, at least for the Android application, if the company decided to integrate the elements cited above in its APK.

Stay tuned!

Does IOS7 make your Iphone waterproof?

iOS7, available since September 18, does not make your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch waterproof. This is the kind message that Apple is making us broadcast to a handful of users.  

Many believed a false advertising that made the rounds on the Internet recently. It showed "Update to iOS 7 and become waterproof." Obviously, this story is not true. It has not prevented some users from falling into the trap so far. They tested their iPhone to dive into the water and there was the drama.
 
The ad below has quickly made ​​the rounds on social networks. It comes straight from 4Chan.
 

 
It is true that the advertising is rather well done. All evidence suggest that Apple is behind it, I think that their intention was to test how well their marketing strategy since 2001 is going and I think it is safe to say that they succeeded to prove how gullible and stupid their users are! (I personally don't mind a chat with an Apple sheep...)

Do not believe everything you read. Ask yourself the simplest question before you start conducting experiences: How a simple software update can render a device resistant to water?

Meanwhile, several users have reported their anger on Twitter
"Anyone who said that iOS7 was waterproof, fuck you!"
"Now my phone has water damage."

Source: iphoneaddict

Make every screen 3D-compatible with a simple plastic film

A team of researchers from Temasek Polytechnic and the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) has developed a new screen filter. It's not only a protector, but this filter allows you to view in 3D format without recourse to the famous glasses.

This plastic filter has been called revolutionary. Install it, simply to see with the naked eye 3D content on the screen of a phone. In fact, this screen protector is designed from the nanoimprint technology specially developed for this purpose. Boasting a thickness of less than 0.1 mm, this innovative accessory enables viewing in landscape and portrait mode. Meanwhile, the team is developing applications for iOS and Androidfor users to read 3D content. Even 2D images can be converted into 3D with a compatible application. Game developers will also have their share with the software development kit that transforms games into 3D.
 

New lithium-ion battery that recharges 1,000 times faster

This time, the innovation lies in its charge time. It is a microscopic battery developed by a team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.



  

Recharging mobile gadgets in seconds, is the main objective of this ingenious battery. The share of the traditional principle of the anode assembly, cathode and electrolyte, but in another form concept. This time the researchers rely on micro-structures consisting of 3D electrodes. To maximize the flow of ions and electrons, these mini-cells form a structure of microscopic polystyrene spheres.

The anode is formed by a mixture of nickel-tin whilst the cathode, is composed by an ore called manganese oxyhydroxide.  

In the end, this type of battery would be 2000 times more powerful than existing batteries. Better yet, with its smaller size, it is able to recharge 1,000 times faster.
This innovative battery will be submitted to testing by the end of the year.

For more details check out this link: http://www.extremetech.com/computing/153614-new-lithium-ion-battery-design-thats-2000-times-more-powerful-recharges-1000-times-faster

Facebook Home, is it really an innovation?

Facebook presented Thursday night, its innovations related to Android. As planned, a new smartphone, HTC First, with the default application, Facebook Home, were announced.
Which was anticipated in a previous post on the platform : Facebook mobile, how real is it?

The surprise has not been a great one, since expectations were much higher, but it was an opportunity to finally lift the suspense.  
At the premises of Facebook in Menlo Park, Mark Zuckerberg introduced the newest social network in mobility: Facebook Home, an Android application with the same principle of Nova Launcher, Go Launcher or Smart. In other words, it is an application that can replace the Home screen and application menu of android smartphone.

As we see the Facebook Home integration is between the OS and the apps menu.

 

The new home screen, Coverflow, can only have access to Facebook friends publications.You can easily comment or like one of these publications using the buttons provided. Moreover, thanks to Facebook Home, Facebook Messenger application and received SMS messages will now appear superimposed on the screen with the profile picture of the contact that we wrote. Finally, notifications are displayed directly superimposed over Coverflow.

However, these innovations will not bypass the classic features of Android. Other applications remain accessible by sliding your finger from the screen bottom to the top. It will only be possible to add widgets or shortcuts on the home screen reserved for publications.  

Facebook Home will be available as an application on 12 April, downloadable directly from the Google Play Store. Not all smartphones are compatible yet, but as promised Facebook application will be updated each month, particularly to support more devices. For the tablet version of the application, it will need to wait "a few months".

HTC First, the first smartphone integrating Facebook Facebook Home by default works simpler by choosing to use the default Home rather than the typical desktop by pressing the home button, Facebook is also working with manufacturers to integrate Home by default in smartphones. If Samsung and Sony already have projects, the Taiwanese HTC which will launch on April 12 with the First HTC which will be marketed in the U.S. operator AT & T. It will be compatible with AT & T's 4G LTE and is available in cyan, red, black or white, will sport a 4.3-inch screen, run on Android 4.1 and is equipped with a Snapdragon processor double heart 400.

Finally, all I can say that the Facebook Home is nothing but another disappointment, for it's leak of creativity and innovation. And sadly, confirms the fact that big companies are so comfortable, they have no more interest into presenting more creative gadgets to the brainwashed mass. And after so many disappointments this year, I think we should all be less excited about the Motorola X phone.

More rumors about the Google X Phone...

The rumors about the Motorola X, a supposedly upscale smartphone, continues, and  in all directions. Here are the latest that invaded the web.

Not long ago, Guy Kawasaki, the man who worked alongside Steve Jobs in the 80's and now sided with Google to take on the role of advisor on the issues of Motorola, posted on Google+ the possibility to customize your smartphone such a car (he alludes to the "Porsche Exclusive").

Rumors continue to bind about the X Phone , the first phone by Motorola since its acquisition by Google, that this smartphone could indeed be equipped with an 800 Snapdragon processor and a 4.8 inch screen. 
Also there has been some talking about the presence of an Nvidia Tegra chip 4i a resolution expected to 1080p, which is the order of the day.
 
Regarding the design of the device, the latest rumors speak of a sapphire slab, known for its resistance to scratches, rubber corners and a carbon fiber shell.

Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One

Two great Android smartphones were presented recently this year, the HTC One and the Galaxy S4 which was featured on this blog by a full review.
 
Waiting for their release , we can already engage in a face to face comparison. Technology, material, design and features, what are their strengths, their weaknesses and which stands out most competition?
Galaxy S4 or HTC One.

2013 technique looks like a turning point in the world of mobile telephony. Galaxy S4 was highly anticipated and proved technically on the same level as its competitors. While each of the smartphones we compare today is one of the best, none is really more powerful than his competitor. There are a few small differences, but it is mainly at the level of functionality or technology that the differences become significant.

Design 

It's no secret that the first thing to attract you to a phone was and still is its look and design. Even before turning on a phone to discover its features or even his screen, it always starts with look and a touch. And HTC has showed that they made a real effort to appeal to users.
 
The HTC One presents an all-aluminum design with a slight bend on its back. You can feel an impression of quality with its pleasant finishes and its well studied grip. On the other hand, they might be regretting that this design has condemned battery access as well as a possible port of memory card. Two black dots for the HTC that could seriously handicap them if they did not give a good internal memory (up to 64 GB).

S4 Galaxy don't have such problem. Its look has not evolved since the previous model which was not recognized as the most beautiful of the smartphones. But then, it is the lightest, the finest, and most compact, but it is also the most "cheap". Its polycarbonate shell is not as strong as Samsung wanted us to believe. Fortunately, its slab glass Gorilla Glass 3 catches a little things by ensuring a good degree of robustness.

Ranking

Galaxy S4 before the HTC One under GeekBench 2 

 
 

Galaxy S4 behind the HTC One under AnTuTu 

So as we have seen, Geekbench 2 benchmark puts the S4 Galaxy in first position before the HTC One (3163 points against 2687), whereas AnTuTu showed the opposite. So yes, the HTC One earned a short head only (22446 points against 22678), but still in the first position. Briefly, it's difficult to disentangle the two smartphones, although it would seem logical that with a higher frequency for a same processor, the S4 Galaxy takes the first place. 
But let's keep away from any hasty conclusions, and wait until both smartphones are in action.
 
  

Picture and new technologies?

2013 will be the year of picture resolution, manufacturers are clear about it. Nokia with its technology Pure View and HTC with its Ultra Pixel are perfect examples.

Comparison of the size of the Ultra Pixel sensor and its competitors
 
Well Yes, it is here that HTC defeat the competitors. With a larger sensor and a lower pixel density, it captures more light and can therefore be more effective in the Dark environments. By most, thanks to its opening to f/2.0 (50% larger than that of the iPhone 5, 90% higher than the Galaxy S3, resulting in 300% brighter than the majority of smartphones) it is sensitive enough to overcome digital noise that taints many devices as soon as the light comes out. Finally and this is the icing on the cake, it has ultra responsive optical stabilizer which allows it to avoid blurred pictures in many situations. Indicatively there are stabilizers optical on the NPA and some Bridges.

For the photo part, HTC One takes thus advantage, through its Zoe application and its Ultra Pixel technology. We keep in mind that in terms of image definition remains less efficient than the S4 Galaxy.

 

Screens, precision and high definition

War of the screens has been a turf war between TV manufacturers for many years. It is therefore quickly spread to related devices such as smartphones and tablets. Thus, the 2013 trend was 5 inches and more slabs and the increase of pixel density. 
This round also goes to  HTC that tops the S4 Galaxy with a pixel density greater than that of the S4 Galaxy .
 
However, these feature is not enough to say that a screen is better than another. It should also consider the energy consumption, the display quality, contrast ratio and brightness. The victory is therefore not yet acquired.

At the moment, pending for the release both mobiles, I can only base my comparison on a general observation, the S4 Galaxy AMOled screens are known for their intensity of black but are less efficient in terms of brightness. Finally, coming to color level' s fidelity, it is known that Samsung has regular problems and Galaxy S4 is no exception. As we have seen recently, many critics have already prompted the manufacturer to correct this defect via a calibration free. It is possible that competitors take advantage of this point. But still the S4 is the only smartphone with AMOLED display for customizable calibration.

Battery life

at the time, it is impossible to answer the question of the autonomy of the HTC One and the S4 Galaxy. Galaxy S4 is the device with the larger battery (2600 mAh against approximately 2300 mAh for the other phone) and it has the same OS as the HTC One, only a bit faster. 
Difficult to say more, but  HTC One should worry a lot more than the S4 Galaxy  when it comes to battery life and performance.

In general nowadays, a smartphone's battery should last for 14 hours, a trend against which Google seeks to fight and which could distinguish it from others in the future Motorola XPhone.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear to you that designating a winner is not really possible because both smartphones have their strengths and its weaknesses. 
  
HTC One suffers from some hardware deficiencies such as lack of memory card and a non-removable battery, but makes up for it on the features with some surprising picture.

Equally, the Galaxy S4 is also very dense in terms of functionality and won also the neck through his many innovations such as Smart Pause, Gesture or even S Voice Air. However it is blamed for its aging and cheap design that suggest a limited robustness.

So it is a bit hard to say which is going to be more popular. Please, share with me your opinion and let me know which one you would choose?

Image: “BlackBerry X10″ and “BlackBerry Z10″ sitting together, dressed up in black and white

By Ian Hardy on December 24, 2012 at 10:01am in Mobile News

This is getting really interesting now. Earlier today RIM’s BlackBerry 10 full QWERTY/Touch device leaked online. The image showed an updated look to the Bold 9900. Now, a post on 4Chan reveals the all-touch “BlackBerry Z10″ sitting in between the full QWERTY/Touch – rumoured name is the “BlackBerry X10.”Read more...