IS IT AS SIMPLE AS AN iPHONE 6 VS. SAMSUNG?

"Umm....NO"

In recent "corners" of the computer world, some folks are knocking the iPhone 6 as not going as far as it could, thus being thumped by Samsung's latest model. I suppose if you were comparing feature-by-feature it could be true, but when you get down to it the OS [Operating System] has a lot to do with your choice in choosing your next smartphone.

First, I'd like to briefly touch on the features of the new camera in the iPhone 6. Yes, it's still an 8mp camera, but mega pixels aren't everything. On my photography Blog, I offered a quick analogy about this saying -

"While working at Compaq HQ [circa 1990] there was buzz about the new video graphics coming from the new line of computers and monitors. At that time manufacturers were in a race to beat their competition with higher screen resolution, but the word around our cubicles was that there wasn't an increase in resolution,  just in colors.

This new setup would offer 256 colors, but none of us were really excited by this news - until we got to see it for ourselves. It blew the competition away, so while Apple's changes may not be as radical as that, nonetheless, the internal camera has new features added to it that makes a difference in the end result while maintaining the same mega-pixel count..."

[You'll find a link to that Blog post that has a review of the camera features by someone who got a chance to check the iPhone 6 series camera, including photos taken by it as well].

And camera and other things aside, with IOS8, the iPhone 6 will have deep integration with MAC's that are able to run the new OS "Yosemite".

But enough about that...

The glaring fact remains that the Android OS is still plagued by security issues that open your phone to all sorts of Malware when compared to Apple's IOS [which doesn't, mostly having to do with Apple's firm grip on the App's which are found on their App store vs. the sloppy manor taken by Android based operating system App store security measures].

Even several years ago anti-virus companies were saying that their were more attacks on the Android OS phone/tablets vs. Apple's IOS, like Symantec in a yearly report:

"Android has a 72 percent market share with Apple® iOS a distant second with 14 percent,

according to Gartner.

As a result of its market share and more

open development environment, Android is the main target for mobile threats."

 

Adding:

 

"Android dominates the malware landscape with 97 percent of new threats"

 

 

 

It is not the market share alone which accounts for the huge disproportionate ratio of Malware between Android's OS and Apple's IOS, but because Android App's were available from websites other than the official Android App website, as well as the fact [apparently] App's weren't screened as thoroughly as IOS App's - which can only come through Apple's iTunes official App store.

 

You can do the legwork for the rest of this [I've reported about steady/huge yearly increases in Android Malware vs. Apple for years. I may be incorrect, but I don't believe that since I've been tracking this, the increase in Android OS Malware has never been less than 200% each year, and close to 400% in 2013 vs. under 30% each year for Apple's IOS] by checking my previous posts during the last few years, but while comparing an Android smartphone vs. the Apple smartphone you really have to take into consideration the amount of threats you are opening yourself up to as well.

 

I'm not saying the iPhone's IOS is perfect [far from it], but they (Apple) do run a tighter rein on the App's that make it into the App Store.

 

Recent Android Malware news:

 

Android bug lets apps make rogue phone calls

 

Android, Bitcoin top malware targets, McAfee reports

 

Rare text message worm targets Android devices

 

File-encrypting Android ransomware's extortion attempts mimic FBI-themed alerts typically found on Windows computers.

 

F-Secure's report on Android based Malware

 

New crimeware tool Dendroid makes it easier to create Android malware

 

 

There is more to find, some of which I may have already posted about, but it took about 5 minutes to do a search and find the articles above. Once again, Apple's IOS is NOT bullet-proof, but thanks to [so far, at this point] Apple's stringent App-checking, Android users [phone, tablet, phablet] continue to be easy marks, and no matter which phone/OS you choose, make sure that you have a anti-virus program running on it -

 

'Nuff Said,

Brian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LONG OVERDUE UPDATES AND NEWS

SORRY FOR THE DELAY...

Yeah, I know, it's been awhile and I've been occupied by non-Blog issues but felt it was time to let you in on things you probably already know - so let's start off with the latest:

By now everyone has heard about Home Depot's data breach [much like Target], and it being the biggest breach yet.

This may or may not be true. It's the biggest one we've been told about, but who knows about the ones that are still secret?

One thing is clear - this isn't the last BIG data breach we'll hear about in the future and I don't see an end to this type of hack soon, so be careful and keep an eye on your bank accounts and credit reports!

Apple had some unwanted press about popular people having private photos taken from their iCloud accounts, and let's be honest - if you have some publicly embarrassing photos around the last thing in the world you'd want to ever do is upload them to any cloud, PERIOD.

PC WORLD's website had an interesting article about lax security and sloppy coding on some popular Android Apps, which if you own something "Android" you should take a look at [ed. - just an FYI, turn your speaker down or mute it as like many other websites, this one has a real annoying commercial that starts playing].

FireEye's blog has a nice bit about "Mass-producing Cyber Attacks", picture [credit: FireEye] below:

But don't leave that blog yet, because there's more...

If you scroll down a little further in their blog you'll see a post about how Mac's aren't as bullet-proof as their owner's believe them to be.

You hardly ever heard of a MAC-Attack in the past was do to the low percentage of MAC users in the world. With the MAC and it's OS becoming more broadly accepted, and adding to the wild popularity of the iPhone/iPad IOS, you'll read or hear about more virus/malware attacks against them. Please - BUY SOME ANTI-VIRUS PROTECTION!

NETFLIX

NETFLIX is dealing with a phishing scam via email that lures their customers to a fake Netflix site in hopes of stealing your credentials and other information [mind you, it's nothing to do with their website, but your gullibility to click on a suspicious email link] - BEWARE! This information came from the friendly folks that write the Malwarebytes Blog!

'Nuff Said,

Brian

CHARGE YOUR iPHONE, iPAD, JUMP YOUR CAR TOO?

YES - IT'S TRUE!








MAXMADE® 11000mAh Dual USB Power Bank/Car Jump Starter Made of 400A-Peak-Current LiFePO4 Battery Up to 15 Ignition Times at Full Charge Perfect for Starting Your Car in Emergency with Ultra-bright LED Flashlight And Dual USB Output Also Charge for Apple and Android smartphones, tablets, and other USB-charged devices (White).

Convenient and Powerful, combines a battery charger, a car jump starter and a LED flashlight altogether into one compact design that you can easily fit into your pocket or backpack.

Super high capacity 11000mAh Power Bank offers super fast charge output through dual USB ports (5V-2A and 5V-1A) allow for simultaneous charging of your iPad, iPhone, Android, and more at high speed. Jump Start Your Vehicle Without All the Hassle - Comes with a jumper cable cord that easily plugs into the battery booster.

Adopted with advanced intelligent circuitry and multiple security protection design: protection for overcharge, overvoltage, overcurrent, and short-circuit. Built-in ultra-bright LED flashlight; 4 LED indicators reveal the battery level; Toolkit Package designed to carry all the accessories together for convenience.

Easy to Recharge -You can charge the battery with the included AC adapter in any standard wall outlet and you can also charge with the included cigarette lighter car charger in your vehicle when you're on the go.

Package includes: MAXMADE 11000mAh Car Jump Starter External Battery, Micro USB Charging Cable, Car Charger, Power Adapter, Ignition Power Cord, Leather Toolkit Bag, Instruction Manual. CE/FCC/ROHS approval.

Currently @ Amazon.com for $59.99!!

Product Description

Color: White

 

The perfect combo of power bank and car jump starter aims to be your ideal driving companion. 4 LED Lights monitoring battery level with LED Flashlight and Car Jump Starter function. Made of high-rate LiFePo4 Batteries, durable for heavy current discharging and easily jumpstart a car with drained battery.

PROCLAIM: Multiple times of jumpstarting a car WON'T cut down the lifespan of this LiFePO4 Battery.

Compatibility -Compatible with all Apple and Android smartphones, tablets, and other USB-charged devices;

 -Compatible with all cars with 12V Battery:
Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Nissan Altma, Toyota Corolla/Matrix, Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Cruze, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus, Hyundai Sonata, Chevrolet Malibu, Volkswagen Jetta/Jetta Sedan/Jetta SportWagen, Toyota Prius2/Prius Sedan/Prius Plug-In, Kia Optima, Chevrolet Impala, Nissan Sentra, Chrysler 200, Kia Soul, Nissan Versa, Subaru Outback, BMW 3-Series/4-Series3, Volkswagen Passat, Mazda 3, Dodge Avenger, Dodge Charger, Chevrolet Sonic, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Dodge Dart, Chevrolet Camaro, etc.

Specifications
- Capacity: 11000mAh
- Input: DC 15V-1.5A
- Output: DC 5V-2.1A/1A; 12V (Car Jump Starter)
- Starting Current: 200A
- Peak Current：400A
- Lifespan: over 500 times
- Operating Temperature: -20℃-60℃
- Dimension: 155x76x29(LxWxH)mm

What's in the Box
- 1 x MAXMADE 11000mAh Car Jump Starter External Battery
- 1 x Micro USB Charging Cable
- 1 x Car Charger
- 1 x Power Adapter
- 1 x Ignition Power Cord
- 1 x Leather Toolkit Bag
- 1 x Instruction Manual

Yep, I had to get one too... [You can't have enough backup battery storage for charging your "STUFF", not to mention - your car]

'Nuff Said,

Brian

UPS AND MORE - 08/22/14 NOTES

FRIDAY NOTES

Everyone has heard about the security breach at select UPS stores [yep, some in Texas too] and you too may get the oft seen "CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'VE BEEN SCAMMED" list [as a reminder, should you receive such an email it could be real, or it could be person or persons unknown trying to take advantage of a bad situation and make it worse].

Eventually all of us at one time or another will have our information breached through a 3rd party [i.e. - "Target", "Specs", "UPS", "Michaels", etc.] so buff up your passwords now and make sure you're not using the same email/password combination on a bunch-0-websites [if so, change that now], and when you have some spare time you could already be working on a new password list for all of your logins so when it does happen - you'll be ready!

SPEAKING OF ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

What?? Yes, it's my brute force method of changing the subject to anti-virus software! This is the time of year when next year's anti-virus is either out, or coming out soon, and vendors are dumping the old version [2014] at great prices. For example, it's not uncommon to find some or all of the "TOP FIVE" anti-virus maker multiple computer versions at fantastic pricing ----> Under $30, or even $20 for 3 or more computers.

So if you're running [for example] Norton 360's 2012 version and have just been paying $60 each year to renew it, and it's just about time to renew again [ed. - "Renew", name that movie...] then it would be much better to cover the 2 or 3 computers you have all at once for one low price.

THE "BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH" [BSOD]

If you're a Windows 7 user and are suddenly getting the infamous BSOD, then it's most likely due to a Windows update you just received. Check out Microsoft Security Bulletin MS14-045 now, and - have a great weekend...

'Nuff Said,
Brian

G-R-E-A-T PRINTER DEAL

I NEVER CAN GET THAT "TONY-THE-TIGER" VOICE INTO A PRINTED "G-R-E-A-T"

 

 

 

 

 

School is starting [or has started in some areas] and maybe you have someone going to college and in need of a printer, or maybe you're in the market for one? Here's a deal that I would find hard to pass up:

 

 

 

 

This is the CANON "PIXMA" MX472 AIO [all-in-one] inkjet printer. It will print, scan, copy, fax AND it's wireless, AND, it supports "air print". "So", you ask, "What's the BIG deal about this? There are a lot of printers that do this...."

 

 

The DEAL is in it's SALE PRICE of

 

 

$44.99

 

 

You'll find it on Amazon's website right now!

 

 

'Nuff Said,

 

Brian

 

SALE ON KASPERSKY'S INTERNET SECURITY FOR PC'S

FOR 3 PC'S

The downloadable version of Kaspersky's Internet Security for PC's [ 1 year / 3 PC's] has a great price right now @ AMAZON for only $19.99!!

So if your current Anti-virus product is about to expire, and you have more than 1 computer - you should check it out. If you ask a small computer repair business about your decision, expect them [in some cases] to call it "Junk", or "Not very good", and then plug the only anti-virus they sell.

Hogwash! Kaspersky is a very good/well respected anti-virus company that is often in the lead when finding new threats.

'Nuff Said,
Brian

SECURITY AND - PUT YOUR OUTLOOK ON A DIET!

I GUESS YOU'VE HEARD THE NEWS...

Those crafty Russians have accumulated over 1.2 billion user names/passwords, along with 500,000 email addresses! But it's nothing new [ed. - the "Russians"], as I've told you in person that the greatest threat comes from Russia and it's old [or possibly re-grouped] regions like the Ukraine.

As to not create a panic, which seems to me like the horse is already out of the barn, the websites who have been hacked are not being released to the public. All I hear is "they" recommend people change their passwords, and because many users continue to use the same password for multiple accounts it means "they" are suggesting you change them all - once again, for at least the 3rd time this year alone.

SUGGESTION

Use a password manager. It keeps each login name and password you use for each website in it's encrypted vault [meaning you can make the password as obscure as you want because you don't have to remember it]. The vault is "Closed" until you open it with one special password known only to you.

I've read reviews on various password manager/vaults and suggest you do the same before choosing one. The one I use comes with Norton 360 [i.e. - I know, certain companies will tell you Norton has issues, but I've been using them for over 15 years now and I'm a happy camper. I also use Trend Micro, but I don't believe it has a password vault], and it saves me a lot of looking for that darn "Book-0-Passwords" to get into my bank, or Amazon, or whatever other websites I use.

As for putting Outlook on a diet, here is an earlier Blog post from one of my other Blogs -

As you know I have several computers at my disposal. One computer was setup with the same email accounts in Outlook that I have on my main computer, and I duplicated my actions:

• Created archive folders and moved email I wanted to keep into those folders
• Deleted Junk Mail in the "Junk Mail" folder
• Deleted emails I read, or had no intention of reading in my in-box
• Occasionally deleted my "Deleted Mail" box

And I let this  go on for 2 years... 

When a human gains too much weight/size and goes on a diet, along with exercise, usually you'll see results. If you look at your main Outlook .PST file you'll find that even if you deleted 20,000 messages, the .PST file size remains the same, and this can cause Outlook to act a bit odd at times.

Don't freak out - that's the way Outlook works [oddly enough]...

Looking at my test computer, my main Outlook .PST file size was about 1.8GB in size, yet I knew I moved many items during those 2 years into Archive folders, as well as deleting a "Ton-0-Spam", so I followed the prescribed file size loss treatment:

1. I went into my Program Files, and under Microsoft Office 12 (2007) I found SCANPST. I ran this on my Outlook.PST file [with Outlook closed] and it found 37 errors which it repaired.
2. Next step was to open Outlook and:
• Go to TOOLS, then ACCOUNT SETTINGS
• Once that window opened up I selected the Tab marked "Data Files" and selected "Personal Folders" one of which was labeled Outlook.PST
• In the next window I verified the folder I picked was truly selected and then -
• Clicked the "Compact Now" tab - and then I waited [and waited].

This was an older, slower computer with 2 years worth of emails but it started this process at 1.8GB in file size and ended up at a slim/trim 929mb size! The Outlook on that computer runs much better now and I've eliminated the bloated space, but keep in mind that I ran the ScanPst program first, and also checked my hard drive to make sure that there weren't any issues before proceeding.

If you use Outlook, maybe it's time you took a look at how big your Outlook .PST file is and do some file size reduction as well. Different operating systems keep .PST files in different places [ed. - and some folks specifically put them in a particular folder], but the easiest way to find out where your outlook.pst file is located is to Google "Where is my Outlook.PST file stored in Windows "X"? [ed. - "X" being Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, etc.].

'Nuff Said,
Brian