Archive for January, 2014

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Joffrey Lupul Buys Coffee For BlackBerry Users With Tim Hortons TimmyMe Mobile App

Posted in Uncategorized on January 31, 2014 by itnerd

Canadians love their Tim Horton’s coffee and doughnuts. And if they are BlackBerry 10 users, they have a new way to pay. By leveraging the near field communication (NFC) technology that’s built into every BlackBerry 10 smartphone, Tim Horton’s can simply register a Tim Card on the TimmyMe mobile app and use their BlackBerry 10 smartphone to tap-to-pay to complete their order. This new mobile payment option is unique to BlackBerry 10 customers at this time and is the first such deployment of its kind, anywhere in the world.

In celebration of this, BlackBerry and Tim Hortons hosted a BlackBerry 10 customer appreciation event today held at a Tim Hortons location in downtown Toronto, where Joffrey Lupul, alternate captain of the Toronto Maples Leafs, demoed the TimmyMe app to the public by buying them a coffee.

Here’s a few pictures from the event:

DSC_3859 DSC_3971 DSC_4036DSC_4053

 

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REPORT: Canadian Spies Tracked People Using Airport WiFi

Posted in Commentary with tags , on January 31, 2014 by itnerd

Edward Snowden is the gift that keeps on giving. His latest “gift” is the news that the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) which is Canada’s version of the NSA had a very invasive and likely illegal method to keep tabs on Canadians. Here’s what the CBC is reporting:

The latest Snowden document indicates the spy service was provided with information captured from unsuspecting travellers’ wireless devices by the airport’s free Wi-Fi system over a two-week period.

Experts say that probably included many Canadians whose smartphone and laptop signals were intercepted without their knowledge as they passed through the terminal.

The document shows the federal intelligence agency was then able to track the travellers for a week or more as they — and their wireless devices — showed up in other Wi-Fi “hot spots” in cities across Canada and even at U.S. airports.

Here’s the troubling part. CSEC is not supposed to be doing this:

Ronald Deibert told CBC News: “I can’t see any circumstance in which this would not be unlawful, under current Canadian law, under our Charter, under CSEC’s mandates.”

The spy agency is supposed to be collecting primarily foreign intelligence by intercepting overseas phone and internet traffic, and is prohibited by law from targeting Canadians or anyone in Canada without a judicial warrant.

As CSEC chief John Forster recently stated: “I can tell you that we do not target Canadians at home or abroad in our foreign intelligence activities, nor do we target anyone in Canada.

“In fact, it’s prohibited by law. Protecting the privacy of Canadians is our most important principle.”

Clearly they must have forgot about that. This is very troubling if you’re Canadian and even if you’re not. It’s clear that better oversight of spy agencies so that this sort of thing doesn’t happen. It’s also clear that if you use free WiFi, you might be opening yourself up to this, or some other issue that exposes your privacy in some way.

It makes you think doesn’t it?

 

 

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In Depth: Mazda SkyActiv Technology

Posted in Products with tags on January 30, 2014 by itnerd

Every car maker is under pressure to make the cars that they make more fuel efficient. That means that a bunch of new technologies have made an appearance in showrooms. For example, some companies have gone the hybrid engine route. Some have gone the electric car route. Some have tried using technologies such as cylinder deactivation where some cylinders in an engine are turned off under light load to save gas. Some have started using continuously variable transmissions.

Mazda has gone a different route based on two premises:

  • The internal combustion engine will still power more than 80 percent of vehicles by the year 2020.
  • The internal combustion engine operates at only 30 percent efficiency. So even if you make minor gains of say 5 or 10 percent, that’s a major improvement.

Plus there’s another premise. Some of the technologies that car makers employ to save fuel take all of the fun out of driving. While fuel economy is important, so is the driving experience and Mazda would like you to get both. After all, they want to make sure that their customers get a healthy dose of “zoom zoom.”

Enter SkyActiv.

Mazda looked at the engine, transmission, body and chassis, and looked for ways to improve on them. Here’s what they came up with:

SkyActiv-G Gasoline Engine:

One of the things that makes the SkyActive-G engines unique is the high compression ratio that they have. A high compression ratio is desirable because it allows an engine to extract more mechanical energy from a given mass of air-fuel mixture due to its higher thermal efficiency. Your average gas engine has a compression of 10:1 and some high performance engine might get up to 12:1. The main reason why you don’t see many engines with compression ratios as high as 12:1 or higher is pre-ignition or knock. Pre-ignition or knock takes place when the air-fuel mixture ignites prematurely because the temperature and pressure are too high. That’s the sort of thing that can result in engines self destructing. Mazda has worked to make this a non-factor by implementing a 4-2-1 exhaust system, redesigned piston cavity, new multi-port injectors as well as other innovations to avoid pre-ignition or knock. That allows Mazda to bring a compression ratio of 13:1. However, they didn’t stop there. They then implemented Continuously variable sequential valve timing (dual S-VT) on the intake and exhaust minimizes pumping losses, reduced internal engine friction 30 percent, and dropped the overall weight of the engine by 10 percent. All of this adds up to a 15 percent savings in fuel versus a previous generation engine from Mazda of equal displacement. Oh, I should mention that you get this with 87 octane gas which keeps money in your pocket as high compression engines usually require higher octane gas which is more expensive.

SkyActiv-Drive and SkyActiv-MT six-speed automatic transmissions 

A good engine needs to be matched to a equally good transmission. Mazda has two of them. In terms of the automatic, they’ve brought to the table all the advantages of of continuously variable (CVT), dual clutch and conventional automatic transmissions. Not only that, it has a full range direct drive (torque converter with a full range lock-up clutch) which delivers a direct manual gearbox-like feel. All of that plus a few other tricks give the automatic a 7 percent fuel savings. For those who like to shift their own gears, the manual is a smaller lighter package that’s optimized for front-engine, front-wheel-drive vehicles with easy and tight shifting. Plus its has reduced internal friction which is a very good thing if you want to save fuel.

SkyActiv-Body 

It’s not just the engine and transmission that contributes to fuel economy. It’s the overall weight of the car. So if you can reduce the weight of the car while keeping it strong, that’s a win. Mazda looked at what they could do on that front and came up with a lot. They dropped the weight of the body by 8 percent but increased the rigidity by 30 percent. They could of stopped there as that is significant, but they did more. On top of making the body more rigid, they re-engineered the crash zones using multi-load paths so you’re safer. Plus they’ve improved the driving dynamics to give it more “zoom zoom.”

SkyActiv-Chassis 

The final piece of the puzzle is the chassis. Mazda wants its drivers to have a “Jinba Ittai” feeling when people drive their cars. That’s a Japanese phrase that means “horse and rider becoming one.” Or in this case, car and driver becoming one. So they’ve re-engineered the chassis to deliver improved driving quality at all speeds by re-engineering the rear suspension mountings, trailing arm position, steering components and set-ups among other items. It’s also more rigid while being 14 percent lighter.

Net result? 

The 2.0 litre engine used in the 2014 Mazda 3 that employs all of these technologies puts out 155 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 150 pound feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. Need more power? There’s a 2.5 litre version that puts out 184 horsepower at 5,700 rpm and 185 pound feet of torque at 3,250 rpm. All while using around 7 litres per 100 KMs of gas in the city and around 5 litres per 100 KMs of gas on the highway in either case. Not too shabby if you ask me. Now I drove a Mazda6 GT briefly last year and came away impressed as it had the “zoom zoom” that Mazda drivers look for and from my rather unscientific observations suggested that it has great fuel economy. So clearly Mazda has got SkyActiv right.

Vehicles employing Mazda’s SkyActiv technology are in dealerships now. If you’re in the market for a car that is good on gas but is still fun to drive, you should visit a Mazda dealership to test drive one. I think you’ll be impressed.

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Why Google Dumped Motorola Mobility: It Was Bleeding Cash

Posted in Commentary with tags , on January 30, 2014 by itnerd

So, are you over the fact that Google sold Motorola Mobility to Lenovo yesterday and are wondering why they would do it? I’ve got a reason, but let me recap what got us to this point. Google dropped $12.5 billion in 2011 for the patents. At the time, it was thought to be the best defence against Apple. However things have been going south ever since with News.com reporting that Motorola Mobility was bleeding cash:

Motorola’s results again weighed on Google’s profitability, with the unit’s operating loss actually widening to $384 million from $152 million a year ago.

Revenue, meanwhile, fell nearly 18 percent from a year ago to $1.24 billion, or 7 percent of Google’s total revenue for the period.

That’s not good and it’s a good reason why Google might have decided to take a $9 billion dollar haircut to get rid of Motorola Mobility. We’ll see if Google succeeds on that front seeing as Lenovo being a Chinese company faces significant hurdles in getting this deal approved by the US government.

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Microsoft May Have A New CEO & Gates May Be Gone

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 30, 2014 by itnerd

According to Bloomberg, Microsoft may have a new CEO and a changing of the guard:

Microsoft Corp’s board is preparing to make Satya Nadella, the company’s enterprise and cloud chief, chief executive officer and is discussing replacing Bill Gates as chairman, according to people briefed on the process.

One person the board is considering to take the place of co-founder Gates as chairman is Microsoft’s lead independent director John Thompson, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the process is private. Gates, 58, may still play an active role at the Redmond, Washington-based company that he founded in 1975, depending on the wishes of the board and new CEO, said the people.

The latter is a bit of a shock, though Gates would still have a role in Microsoft. Now back to Satya Nadella. One thing that makes Nadella a good fit is that he is likely to carry on the plan to remake the company using the devices and services strategy that outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer came up with. That’s a good thing as a CEO that would blow up the company would be a bad thing.

Now this is just a rumour, but it seems like a very plausible one to me. I’d keep an eye on this one.

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Google Unloads Motorola Mobility

Posted in Commentary with tags , , on January 29, 2014 by itnerd

I guess that Google doesn’t want to own a phone manufacturer anymore because they netted $3 billion from Lenovo for the Motorola Mobility division:

The deal ends Google’s short-lived foray into making consumer mobile devices and marks a pullback from its largest-ever acquisition. Google paid $12.5 billion for Motorola in 2012. Under this deal the search giant will keep the majority of Motorola’s mobile patents, considered its prize assets.

Shares in Google climbed 2.2 percent to about $1,131 in after-hours trading. Reuters reported the deal earlier on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the deal.

The purchase will give Lenovo a beach-head to compete against Apple and Samsung Electronics as well as increasingly aggressive Chinese smartphone makers in the highly lucrative U.S. arena.

Now, what’s interesting is this from the Google Blog:

Google will retain the vast majority of Motorola’s patents, which we will continue to use to defend the entire Android ecosystem.

So this is simply about the ability to make phones. Interesting. This deal still has to be approved in the US and China. The former might be an issue given the mistrust of China and Chinese companies that’s floating around at the moment. But we will see.

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Global Smartphone Shipments Reached 980M iIn 2013 With Samsung Accounting For 1 In 3 Phones Sold

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 28, 2014 by itnerd

Leading mobile analyst firm Juniper Research estimates that the number of smartphone shipments exceeded 280 million in Q4 2013, with an annual total of 980 million smartphones shipped for 2013, representing 39% y-o-y growth. Here’s the highlights:

  • Samsung shipped over 300 million smartphones in 2013 accounting for just over 30% of all smartphone shipments, and represented a phenomenal 40% y-o-y growth compared to 2012. However, for the first time Samsung witnessed a quarterly fall in shipments and market share, to just over 81 million in Q4 2013.
  • Meanwhile, Apple posted a record quarter of 51 million iPhone sales, representing q-o-q growth of 51% and y-o-y growth of 7% compared to Q4 2012.  Apple’s iPhone ASP (average selling price) has been on the decline since Q4 2011, but rose by 10% q-o-q to $637 in Q4 2013. However, Apple’s share price dropped by 5% after the company lowered its sales outlook for 2014.
  • Nokia’s handset sales dropped by nearly 30% in Q4 2013, with sales of the flagship Lumia range falling to 8.2 million in Q4 compared to 8.8 million in Q3 2013. However, 30 million Lumia smartphones were sold throughout 2013, compared to 13 million in 2012.
  • LG posted another record quarter with quarterly smartphone sale exceeding 13 million for the first time, representing an increase of over 50% compared to Q4 2012. However, the company announced that although profit improved q-o-q due to improved G2 and Nexus 5 sales, it declined y-o-y due to higher marketing expenses and intensified price competition.

While several other smartphone vendors, including Lenovo, Huawei and ZTE, have managed to improve their smartphone market share y-o-y, they still face a challenge when competing against premium brands. These three vendors together are estimated to have shipped over 40 million smartphones in Q4 2014.

We’ll see if smartphone companies can grow on this in 2014.

 

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OVH.com’s Security Is Recognized By SOC 1 And SOC 2 Type I Standards

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 28, 2014 by itnerd

OVH.com, the leading Internet hosting company, announced today that the company has received compliance verification for Service Organization Control (SOC 1, prepared in accordance with SSAE16 and ISAE 3401, and SOC 2) type I for its Dedicated Cloud service in 4 datacenters, 1 in Canada and 3 in France. In addition to its compliance with ISO 27001, these latest reports attest to OVH.com’s continued commitment to provide the highest standards in security and availability.

In fact, for a Cloud infrastructure provider that supplies outsourcing services for enterprises, security is a critical issue. Right from the design stage of Dedicated Cloud, a unique private virtual datacenter solution, OVH.com established procedures and controls to ensure that the information stored in its datacenters is protected and always available.

SOC 1 type I (SSAE 16 ISAE 3401) and SOC 2 type I reports being published is a recognition of the implementation, on both sides of the Atlantic, of the strictest security measures.

SOC 1 type I (SSAE 16 ISAE 3402), that replaces SAS 70, provides the guarantee that the service organizations’ internal controls are designed in an appropriate manner.

The SOC 2 type I report evaluates the monitoring procedures against international standards set by the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) in its “Trust Services Principles.

This announcement reinforces why OVH is one of the leading hosting providers for business.

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Linksys Announces Indoor And Outdoor IP Surveillance Cameras and Video Recorders

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 28, 2014 by itnerd

Linksys has something that will interest small business users who need surveillance needs. The line-up offers four new 1080p IP surveillance cameras, available in dome and bullet options with additional features such as night vision, weatherproof, IK10 vandal-proof housing, remote access, zoom, pan and tilt features plus more.  The network video recorder, developed specifically for use with the Linksys surveillance cameras, provides up to 8TB of storage and records up to eight video feeds simultaneously. The new surveillance cameras and network video recorder give small businesses and resellers a flexible monitoring solution that can be accessed on site or remotely using the existing IP network.  With robust features and rugged housing these cameras can help provide the peace of mind businesses need at the cost they can afford.

Here’s the camera lineup:

1080p Indoor Night Vision Dome Camera LCAD03FLN – $449.99 MSRP (Shipping February)

1080p 3MP Indoor/Outdoor 360 Mini Dome Camera LCAM03360D – $699.99 MSRP (Shipping March)

1080p 3MP Outdoor Night Vision Bullet Camera LCAB03VLNOD – $599.99 MSRP (Shipping February)

1080p 3MP Outdoor Night Vision Dome Camera LCAD03VLNOD – $599.99 MSRP (Shipping March)

Features include:

  • Night vision, motion detection, and alarm/event notification help your business stay alert around the clock
  • Large, 5MP sensor provides high quality video (Outdoor)
  • Wide-angle view and wide dynamic range (WDR) available with a firmware upgrade
  • The IP67 weatherproof and IK10 vandal-proof housing helps protect the system from both natural and criminal elements (Outdoor)
  • The ImmerVision Panomorph Lens displays 30 per cent more than a standard fisheye lens, with maximum view (360° x 180°) (Mini Dome)
  • Low-light performance with a Sony CMOS sensor and wide dynamic range (WDR) (Mini Dome)
  • Complies with Open Network Video Interface Forum (ONVIF) core specifications, versions 1.0 and 2.0
  • True day/night functionality with removable infrared-cut filter
  • Video Surveillance Manager software at no cost with user, profile, and event management capabilities

On top of the cameras, Linksys has a network video recorder to store the video.

2-Bay Network Video Recorder – LNR0208C – $799.99 MSRP (Shipping February)

Features include:

  • Records up to eight video feeds simultaneously with eight separate channels
  • 2 Bays tore up to 8 TB on two internal, hot-swappable 4 TB eSata hard drives (not included)
  • Remote live view and playback
  • Multiple NVR monitoring
  • Includes Gigabit Ethernet port, Three USB 2.0 ports
  • Provides high performance and throughput at an affordable price point

SMBs and resellers can find a participating distributor at their website: http://www.linksys.com/en-us/business/find-a-distributor 

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BlackBerry 10 OS Version 10.2.1 Announced

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 28, 2014 by itnerd

If you have a BlackBerry 10 device, you should check for an update as BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2.1 is now shipping. Here’s the key features:

  •  Customize Pinch Gesture to Filter BlackBerry Hub – BlackBerry Hub lets you access all your messages and notifications in one place. A new feature lets you instantly filter the message list in the Hub. You can customize the Hub to show only Unread Messages, Flagged Messages, Draft Messages, Meeting Invites, Sent Messages or Level 1 Alerts. Once the filter criterion is set, you can simply activate it with a pinch gesture on the Hub’s message list.
  • Simplified Phone Experience – The phone includes a new incoming call screen that lets you swipe to the left to answer or swipe right to ignore a call. New intuitive icons allow you to instantly silence the call, or send a Reply Now response through BBM™, SMS or email that you can’t answer the phone right away. You can choose from a list of standard automated responses or respond with a personalized note.
  • SMS and Email Groups – You can now create SMS and email groups for more efficient broadcast communications.
  • Actionable Lock Screen Notifications – You can now “Tap to open” a message that appears on the lock screen, letting you respond to an important message much quicker or to check messages more discreetly.
  • Picture Password for Quick Unlocking – You can quickly unlock your phone using a combination of a picture and a number (0-9) of your choice, which you place at a particular point on the image. When you try to unlock the phone, the picture will appear along with a grid of random numbers. To unlock, simply drag the grid so the number you selected overlays the particular point on the image.
  • Customizable Quick Settings Menu – You can now customize what appears on the Settings menu, which includes features such as being able to quickly change the Brightness of the smartphone’s display, toggle various network connections, and access the built-in flashlight. The Settings menu also includes a toggle that lets you instantly switch between your Personal and Work perimeter.
  • Offline Browser Reading Mode – You can now save the current web page you’re on for later viewing, even if you are offline or without an Internet connection.
  • Preferred Contact Sync – You can now choose the sync source for your Contacts ensuring you always have the most up-to-date contact details. When adding a new contact you can designate which sources you want the contact info to sync with, such as the corporate address book, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.
  • Device and Battery Monitor – A new and improved device monitor provides you with essential details on battery usage, the impact of installed apps on battery life and memory usage and storage, as well as CPU stats.
  • Automatic Software Updates – OS updates can be set to happen automatically over a Wi-Fi® connection to help ensure you’re always benefiting from the latest and best possible customer experience.
  • Enterprise Features – When combined with BES10 version 10.2, enterprise customers will gain additional security features and IT policies for when more granular controls are required, such as for regulated industries and for organizations that work with sensitive data. For more information about BES10, please visit www.bes10.com.
  • FM Radio – If you have a BlackBerry Z30, BlackBerry® Q10 or BlackBerry Q5 smartphone, the new software update unlocks the built-in FM radio in those handsets. You can listen to local FM stations, which does not require any network connection.  

 The update is rolling out starting today. Keep an eye out for it. 

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