Archive for April, 2014

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Volvo’s First Self-Driving Autopilot Cars Test On Public Roads Around Gothenburg

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

The self driving car is closer than you think. Currently, 100 self-driving Volvos are rolling around the Swedish city of Gothenburg in everyday driving conditions.

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The ‘Drive Me’ project unique is that it involves all the key players: legislators, transport authorities, a major city, Volvo and real customers. The customers will drive the 100 cars in everyday driving conditions on approximately 50 kilometres of selected roads in and around Gothenburg. These roads are typical commuter arteries, including motorway conditions and frequent congestion.

This test will examine the benefits of making autonomous vehicles a natural part of the traffic environment. The lessons learned here will bring these types of vehicles to market faster.

 

 

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Xerox Delivers New Ways to Unlock And Protect Information

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

Xerox has new ways for enterprises to assess, protect and leverage their information when and wherever needed. Not only to save money, but to ultimately improve client relationships and develop innovative and stronger offerings.

The enhanced services include:

  • Xerox Secure Print Manager Suite, powered by Nuance Equitrac, cost-effectively integrates print security, control and reporting capabilities – such as user authentication, secure document release, job tracking, chargeback and accounting, and print rules and routing – without disrupting existing IT infrastructure. Capabilities can be licensed individually or across any number of Xerox or non-Xerox devices, depending on the organization’s needs.
  • Xerox Document Analytics Services explain how, where and why documents are used. Insights are culled from multiple sources – data from devices and print jobs, audits of filed and unfiled paper and client interviews that uncover printing “behaviors.” Based on the findings, Xerox partners with its clients to digitize content and capture information so organizations don’t replace a paper landfill with a digital landfill.
  • Xerox Workflow Assessment Services demonstrate how documents move within an organization and provide insights to create more efficient processes. For example, an assessment may uncover that student loan processing could take 50 percent less time if information is easier to locate and is scanned rather than printed. Leveraging client input and metrics from document and device usage, the service helps organizations turn process into productivity, to save money and improve customer relationships.

In addition, a free software upgrade on the Xerox WorkCentre 3325 multifunction printer (MFP) offers a common set of access, productivity, management and security features to further protect and optimize print environments. Also Xerox ConnectKey 1.5 technology enabled printers and MFPs will soon be certified by the Mopria Alliance, an organization that promotes, simplifies and increases accessibility of wireless printing from smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. Printing on-the-go is made easier without having to manually connect to a device or install software.

Xerox Document Analytics Services and Xerox Workflow Assessment Services are available to customers of Xerox’s Enterprise Print Services in the U.S., Canada and Europe. Xerox Secure Print Manager Suite is available for customers of Xerox’s Enterprise Print Services in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Developing Markets Operations. Xerox ConnectKey 1.5 technology will be offered worldwide as a software upgrade for all existing ConnectKey enabled printers and MFPs by early June 2014.

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The IT Nerd Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Posted in Commentary on April 29, 2014 by itnerd

Mother’s day is coming soon. Instead of getting her flowers, why not get her a gift that’s unique and that she can really use? Here are my suggestions of gifts that will score some points with mom.

For the Musical Mom – Sonos PLAY:1

This compact, powerful speaker is perfect for mom’s me time. She can stream all of her favourite music and play millions of songs and playlists from popular music services like Deezer, Rdio, Songza or listen to radios throughout the world. Sonos’ unified app allows for wireless control of the speaker, from any phone or tablet. Also humidity resistant, the PLAY:1 is perfect for when mom takes a nice, relaxing bath while listening to her favourite music. Read my review of the PLAY:1 here.

 

For the mom on a schedule – WeMo Switch + Motion

WeMo allows the busy mom to control home appliances and electronics, letting her turn devices like the coffee maker on and off remotely and set schedules for specific home appliances and electronics. Operating over Wi-Fi and mobile internet via her smartphone, mom can control what’s happening at home from anywhere.  She can also set electronics and devices to be turned on and off by one’s motion, facilitating life at home. I reviewed the WeMo line of products recently and you can read my review here.

 

For the safety-minded mom – NetCam HD Wi-Fi Camera

Easy to set up, this camera will give mom a chance to keep an eye on what is happening at home from her tablet or smartphone. This is ideal to watch for the kids, pets, or even grand-parents living at home. The NetCam HD is the next best thing to being there. It will send her an email notification when it detects movement, allowing peace of mind anywhere. Mom can even record the memorable moments she witnesses through the camera. Read the review on it here.

 

For the mom on the go – Motorola Moto G

The Motorola Moto G is a great choice for a mom who needs a cell phone. It has all the features that moms need to stay in touch, be it by voice or by e-mail. It has a good quality camera for stills and video that’s easy to use. Plus it’s water resistant which I am sure that mom will appreciate. Read the review on it here.

 

For the mom who takes a lot of photos – Canon SELPHY CP900 Compact Photo Printer

Most moms take a lot of photos of their kids. Canon gives her a way to share them with family and friends. The Canon SELPHY CP900 Compact Photo Printer prints drug store quality photos wirelessly, or straight from a phone, PictBridge compatible camera, memory card or USB memory stick. It’s quick and easy to set up and use. Read the review here.

 

For the mom on the move – 2014 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD

If mom needs to get the kids to and from hockey practise, piano lessons, or anywhere else, there’s no safer way to do it than to drive the 2014 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD. Not only will it get the kids there in style, it will get them there in safety as it has all wheel drive, and a full suite of safety features including City Safety which will stop the Volvo if you don’t take action quick enough to avoid an accident. Plus it’s big enough to hold all the gear that kids tend to have these days. Mom couldn’t ask for anything more. Read the five part review here.

 

For the Mom who wants to relax or work – Asus VivoTab Note 8

This is a tablet that has a dual personality. Besides coming with Netflix and Kindle apps to help her to relax, the Asus VivoTab Note 8 also comes with Microsoft Office to help her to be productive. Plus it comes with a full version of Windows 8.1 which will allow her to run any application that she needs. Mom would definitely appreciate this tablet. Read the review here.

 

For the mom who likes to communicate – netTALK WiFi Duo

The netTALK WiFi Duo is a VoIP (voice over IP) product that allows mom to communicate with family and friends cheaply utilizing a wired or WiFi network and a Internet connection. It’s easy to setup and you simply plug a regular phone into it to use it. She’ll thank you for all the money that she’ll save on long distance charges. Read my review here.

Can you think of any other gifts that would be good for mom? Post a comment and share your ideas.

 

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SAIC Commits To BlackBerry For Device Management

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

BlackBerry yesterday announced that the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) has expanded its investment in BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 for multi-platform enterprise mobility management. SAIC is a technology integrator with commercial and government clients, uses BES10 to manage iOS, Android and BlackBerry 10 devices. The company also utilizes Secure Work Space for iOS and Android, the multi-platform containerization solution managed through BES10 that securely separates sensitive corporate data from personal content. In addition to the security and productivity benefits of BES10, SAIC also noted the positive impact of the solution on reducing overhead costs.

Clearly this is a vote of confidence for BlackBerry. Let’s see if they can keep the momentum going.

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Review: Samsung Galaxy S5

Posted in Products with tags , on April 28, 2014 by itnerd

Telus this week hooked me up with Samsung’s latest and greatest flagship phone. The Galaxy S5. It’s getting a lot of attention in the media. But when you look at it, it doesn’t look much different than a Galaxy S4. From a design standpoint, it’s an evolution and not a revolution. Though I will note that it is easy to hold and it will not slip out of your hands. Something that did grab my attention is the fact that this is a light and reasonably thin phone. The build quality is excellent as it feels very solid. I would not recommend putting it in your pants pocket if you wear tight jeans or the like. But it easily fits into your jacket pocket.

Turn it on and you see one of the stars of the show. That’s the screen which is a 5.1-inch 1920×1080 pixel Super AMOLED display. It’s simply sharp, bright, and vivid. Anything that I did with it, be it video or still pictures looked great. Another star of the show is the fingerprint sensor that’s integrated into the home button. Like Touch ID from Apple, you can use the fingerprint sensor to unlock your phone or buy something as PayPal supports this feature. However, the PayPal functionality doesn’t work in Canada. At least not yet. But the real problem with the fingerprint sensor is that you need to do a swipe motion with the finger of your choice. That requires you to not only hold the phone with your other hand, but it has at best 50/50 reliability. It got annoying enough that I disabled it after a day. I should note that if you cannot unlock your phone with a fingerprint, it will prompt you for a password. There’s also a heart rate monitor, but I didn’t find it useful. The reason being that it can only be used for situations where you’re sitting and wanting to see what your current heart rate is using the included S Health software. If you want to use it while exercising, then you should consider acquiring a Gear Fit to go along with the S5. One thing that athletes will like about the Galaxy S5 is that it has IP67 certification, which covers dust and water resistance for one metre up by 60 minutes.

In terms of specs, here’s what the phone comes with:

  • Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) with Samsung TouchWIZ Flat
  • 5.1-inch 1920×1080 pixel Super AMOLED display
  • 2.5Ghz quad core processor
  • 2GB RAM
  • 16GB internal storage expandable via a microSD slot
  • 16MP rear, 2MP front-facing camera
  • 4K video capture @30fps
  • 1080p video capture @60fps
  • IR Blaster
  • WiFi (a/b/g/n/ac) and Bluetooth 4.0

Even by my “seat of the pants” testing, it was easily the fastest phone I’ve tested recently. That’s likely due to the fast CPU that’s in the S5. Along with the CPU, it’s fast on LTE via the Telus network. It’s clocked an average of 20 Mbps downstream and upstream. Samsung’s implementation of Android KitKat with their new version of the TouchWIZ user interface is a lot cleaner and smoother. Users will find this a welcome change. The included software has two stand out features:

  • S Health: It makes it easy to track eating habits, weight, exercise, heart rate trends and more. It will track your steps and measure your resting heart rate. Though to really leverage it, you’ll need to get a Gear Fit.
  • There’s a kid mode that lets you lock down your phone to hand it over to your kids without them potentially deleting data.

When it comes to storage, you only get 10GB usable out of the 16GB that it comes with. I would highly recommend getting a microSD card to store music, videos and pictures.

When it comes to the camera, it is pretty impressive in terms of two features. First is the fact that it does 16 MP still pictures and 4K video. Impressive as that might be, it also allows you to shoot a video as well as take pictures at the same time. I used that functionality at my usual location to test these sorts of things which is Pearson Airport in Toronto. I got very lucky as I managed to catch an Air Canada 777 on final approach. First the picture. Click to see it at full resolution:

20140426_153703Besides the quality of the photo which is impressive, this phone has the fastest autofocus that I’ve ever seen on a smartphone. The main reason why I use the airport to shoot pictures is that a fast moving object like a plane landing uncovers the best or worst of a camera. In this case, it brought out the best in the S5. Now let’s see the video. Make sure to run it in full screen and to set it to 1080P:

The video quality is impressive as I was moving to capture this video and the video was basically stable. As for the sound quality, even though I shot this on a windy day, the wind noise didn’t overwhelm the audio. You can even heard my difficulty breathing due to a cold.

Finally, there’s the battery life. You’ll get a day and a half out of it easily. More if you use the Ultra Power Saving Mode. It shuts off background processes, makes the screen monochrome and limits the number of apps you can run. The battery is removable which is a good thing. However, the USB 3.0 port that’s used to sync or charge requires a special USB cable. And it has a cover to protect it that I am not sure that will last during constant usage as the tab that attached it to the phone did not seem all that robust to me. One thing to note, this phone charges quickly. I got the phone from Telus half charged and it was fully charged in 25 minutes. Impressive.

So what’s the bottom line. Let me put it this way:

  • If you have a Galaxy S3, buy this phone. It’s way better than what you have now.
  • If you have a Galaxy S4, the camera and the speed may justify buying this phone. But you might not find enough of a jump in terms of features to close the deal.
  • If you have any other Android phone, you should seriously consider buying this phone. It clearly is one of the top phones out there.
  • If you want a great camera on a smartphone, you need to buy this phone. The capabilities of the S5’s camera are top of the heap.

The Galaxy S5 is for Samsung an evolution in what they offer. Though it’s not the perfect phone, Samsung has a smartphone that kicks them up to the top of the heap for now. It’s $229 on a two year plan or $730 outright from Telus. If you want a Android phone that is fast and has a great camera among other features, look no further.

 

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In Depth: Amplifyd

Posted in Products with tags on April 28, 2014 by itnerd

You’ve likely heard of crowdsourcing. As it stands, crowdsourcing has been used to raise funds to do everything from get products to market, to help to provide the funds to elect politicians. But now there’s a new use for crowdsourcing – social activism. The need for crowdsourced social activism is clear. People spend lots of money getting officials elected. Then when those people need politicians to make change, people spend next to nothing. Resorting instead to simply signing petitions online or at the grocery store. Meanwhile companies across the U.S. are spending over $3 billion dollars to influence politicians. That’s not a level playing field.

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Enter Amplifyd which is a social activism startup based in Berkeley California and headed by Scott Blankenship that helps crowd-source political lobbying for people, communities and causes by having activists call and lobby local, regional or national representatives on your behalf. You can purchase any number of calls from the campaigns listed on the site. For each call bought, someone will call and lobby the elected official of the person that bought the call. Each call will be $6.50-$7.50 (the final rate will be determined at time of launch) and you can buy as many calls as you want. Part of that money will go to the non-profit that’s organizing the campaign, part of it will go to Amplifyd, and part will go to the caller.

Each call is recorded and the buyer has a window in which they can flag the call. This helps ensure that callers are actually doing their job and not cheating the system. If a call gets flagged, the call will get put back into the queue and the caller will not get paid (up to $3.50 per call) for that call. Each campaign on the site is managed by non-profit activist organizations and the majority of the purchase cost can go to supporting their activities as an organization. For every call completed, the non-profit managing the campaign will make a base rate. This means activists groups will be able to generate passive income for their organization. It’s a great way for organizations to mobilize their community around their cause and provides an additional revenue stream to finance their activities. Each campaign will also support a contest for the highest call buyers so there will be additional rewards for people who purchase the most calls. Contests will be completely managed by the campaigners, so it could be a prize with a value of $1 to any amount.

To make crowdsourced lobbying as effective as possible, there’s a cutting edge calling system that will make it easy for people to make effective calls from the site. It is designed so buyer data will automatically match up with representative data for Senate, Congress, State Upper and State Lower reps. For example, if the campaign is for California Senate and you purchase a call, Amplifyd, will automatically find your local state senate legislator and the caller will make the call on your behalf to that person.

Amplifyd begins levelling the playing field on June 3rd. If you want to find out more prior to the launch, check out these links on social media:

Facebook: http://facebook.com/amplifydvoices

Twitter: http://twitter.com/amplifyddotcom

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXOT_Lpzh_ourcuk0bC2rEQ

Google +: http://plus.google.com/u/0/117804314803163590271

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/amplifyd

Instagram: http://instagram.com/amplifyd1

Indiegogo: http://indiegogo.com/projects/amplifyd-crowdsourced-lobbying-for-the-people/

Or, check out this video:

 

 

 

 

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Critical Internet Explorer Bug Threatens Users

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

If you run Internet Explorer versions 6 to 11, then you need to switch to another browser until Microsoft patches a bug that is so serious, it’s already being used for evil according to The Globe And Mail:

Microsoft disclosed on Saturday its plans to fix the bug in an advisory to its customers posted on its security website, which it said is present in Internet Explorer versions 6 to 11. Those versions dominate desktop browsing, accounting for 55 per cent of the PC browser market, according to tech research firm NetMarketShare.

Cybersecurity software maker FireEye Inc said that a sophisticated group of hackers have been exploiting the bug in a campaign dubbed “Operation Clandestine Fox.”

FireEye, whose Mandiant division helps companies respond to cyber attacks, declined to name specific victims or identify the group of hackers, saying that an investigation into the matter is still active.

The bug allows “limited remote code execution.” That means that someone can run commands to do things on your PC from someplace else. Given that Microsoft is being open about this bug, it’s serious and you should treat it as such. Expect a patch for this before Microsoft’s usual “Patch Tuesday” cycle in May. Unless of course you’re an XP user in which case you’ll get nothing. Thus you’ll likely have to switch to some other browser. Something that may not be a bad idea for any user of Internet Explorer.

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Beltone First Hearing Aid Launches

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

The Beltone First hearing aid is revolutionary as it is capable of not only being a top quality hearing aid, but it also is capable of streaming high-quality stereo sound from an iPhone, iPad and iPod touch without the need for an additional pendant-like device. It’s adaptable by customizing sound as your surroundings change. It makes speech a priority which makes it easy to hear a conversation even in noisy places. Beltone First applies the latest and most advanced integrated sound processing technology, providing top-rated quality sound.

The accompanying Beltone HearPlus app allows users to set preferred volume levels as well as treble/bass settings, and use geo-tagging to assign and adjust to the acoustics of frequently visited places like home, work, favorite restaurants and more. Beltone HearPlus also features a ‘Find My Hearing Aid’ function to help users pinpoint their hearing aids if misplaced. Other features include:

  • Phone calls
  • Music
  • Movies
  • Audio from videos & games
  • Turn-by-turn directions
  • FaceTime conversations
  • Siri

Beltone First addresses 90% of all hearing losses and is discreet when you wear it. All of this makes it very much worth a look if you need a hearing aid. Check it out at a location near you.

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Can’t Make FaceTime Calls On iOS 6? Apple Says Upgrade To iOS 7.

Posted in Commentary with tags on April 25, 2014 by itnerd

6 device, you’re not alone. Due to a bug that was traced to an expired device certificate, iOS 6 users can’t use FaceTime. Thus, according to a support document that was posted yesterday, you have two choices:

  • Devices capable of running iOS 7 must be upgraded to iOS 7.0.4 or later.
  • Devices unable to run iOS 7 must upgrade to iOS 6.1.6.

Now the former is sure to tick some people off as there’s a significant number of users who avoided upgrading to iOS 7 due to the radical change in the user interface. Adding to that, there’s the fact that Apple released a fix for a similar problem that OS X 10.6 users were having. Thus Apple can fully expect some blowback from this as it will be perceived (wrongly in my opinion) that Apple is trying to force feed iOS 7 down the throats of it’s users. After all, just because a device is capable of running iOS 7 doesn’t mean that you should be forced to.

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Feds Warn Telus Over Mobilicity Purchase [UPDATED]

Posted in Commentary with tags , , on April 25, 2014 by itnerd

I was wondering what the response from the Canadian Government was going to be over the latest attempt by Telus to purchase the assets of struggling wireless carrier Mobilicity. It seems the response is an angry one. The Globe And Mail is reporting that Telus is being sent a very sharp message by the Canadian Government:

“If Telus doesn’t drop efforts to acquire spectrum set aside for new entrants, the Harper government is prepared to change the rules of the upcoming wireless auction that could effectively bar Telus or any incumbent from acquiring that spectrum,” a senior government source said.

Well, that isn’t subtle. And if this is true, it would really hurt Telus. Here’s why:

Analysts have expected Telus would be a big beneficiary of the 2,500 MHz auction, scheduled for 2015, because Bell and Rogers, the other two big incumbents, already own significant amounts. The auction rules put caps on how much spectrum companies can own in each region and Bell and Rogers are currently at or near their cap in most areas, government sources say.

This leaves Telus as the only major incumbent eligible to acquire significant portions of the 2,500 Mhz spectrum in the auction.

You can bet that there’s a fair amount of discussion going on at Telus HQ. I’d keep an eye on this story. It’s going to get very interesting.

UPDATE: Reuters is reporting that the Canadian Government via Industry Minister James Moore will have a decision on the Telus/Mobilicity hookup “soon.”

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