Archive for August 31, 2015

Apple And Cisco Announce Enterprise Tie Up

Posted in Commentary with tags , on August 31, 2015 by itnerd

Apple put out a press release today announcing that they have entered a partnership with Cisco to create a “fast lane” for iOS business users through the optimization of Cisco networks for iOS devices and apps:

“iOS is the world’s best mobile platform, and nearly every Fortune 500 and Global 500 company today has put iOS at the center of their mobile strategy,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “iPhone and iPad have become essential tools for the modern workforce and are changing the way work gets done. Together with Cisco, we believe we can give businesses the tools to maximize the potential of iOS and help employees become even more productive using the devices they already love.”

There are likely some execs at Google who are none to happy about this. That’s because they’ve been trying to get into the enterprise using Google For Work. But Apple seems to have neutralized this with this partnership and a partnership with IBM. This may be the beginning of Apple becoming the player in the enterprise space.

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Ashley Madison Claims To Have Signed Up Females To Its Site……. Yeah Right

Posted in Commentary with tags on August 31, 2015 by itnerd

Days after this look at the Ashley Madison data dump showed that almost no females frequented the site and this look at the Ashley Madison source code shows an effort to create “bots” or software that would pretend to be women, comes this press release that had a few interesting tidbits:

Recent media reports predicting the imminent demise of Ashley Madison are greatly exaggerated. The company continues its day-to-day operations even as it deals with the theft of its private data by criminal hackers. Despite having our business and customers attacked, we are growing. This past week alone, hundreds of thousands of new users signed up for the Ashley Madison platform – including 87,596 women.

Some journalists have turned the focus of the criminal act against Ashley Madison inside out, attacking us instead of the hackers. Last week, a reporter who claimed to analyze the stolen data made incorrect assumptions about the meaning of fields contained in the leaked data. This reporter concluded that the number of active female members on Ashley Madison could be calculated based on those assumptions. That conclusion was wrong.

Last week alone, women sent more than 2.8 million messages within our platform. Furthermore, in the first half of this year the ratio of male members who paid to communicate with women on our service versus the number of female members who actively used their account (female members are not required to pay to communicate with men on Ashley Madison) was 1.2 to 1. These numbers are the main reason that Ashley Madison is the number one service for people seeking discreet relationships.

Okay. Except that anything said in this press release is unverifiable because they are a private company who doesn’t have to produce proof about anything they say. So I take this statement with a grain of salt. Besides, if Ashley Madison did have fake women on the site and an army of “bots” to make it look like there were women on the site, that would be fraud on a massive scale. And the last time I checked, fraud was illegal. Thus the need to make some sort of statement to introduce some degree of uncertainty. What seems to make this plausible is the fact that this leaked e-mail from the last Ashley Madison data dump shows how much money they were making off of “bots.”

It looks like to me that Ashely Madison is circling the drain at the moment.

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Another Reason Not To Jailbreak Your iDevice… “KeyRaider” Malware Is On The Loose

Posted in Commentary with tags , on August 31, 2015 by itnerd

Apple has a very tightly controlled ecosystem when it comes to iOS, which annoys some people as Google’s Android OS is the exactly the opposite of that. That leads some people to “jailbreak” their devices or open them up so that they can do anything that they want. I’ve always said that “jailbreaking” and iOS device is not a good idea as it potentially opens yourself up to a world of hurt. Case in point is the “KeyRaider” malware that is in the wild. Here’s what it does according to researchers at Palo Alto:

KeyRaider targets jailbroken iOS devices and is distributed through third-party Cydia repositories in China. In total, it appears this threat may have impacted users from 18 countries including China, France, Russia, Japan, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, Israel, Italy, Spain, Singapore, and South Korea.

The malware hooks system processes through MobileSubstrate, and steals Apple account usernames, passwords and device GUID by intercepting iTunes traffic on the device.  KeyRaider steals Apple push notification service certificates and private keys, steals and shares App Store purchasing information, and disables local and remote unlocking functionalities on iPhones and iPads.

KeyRaider has successfully stolen over 225,000 valid Apple accounts and thousands of certificates, private keys, and purchasing receipts. The malware uploads stolen data to its command and control (C2) server, which itself contains vulnerabilities that expose user information.

Needless to say that if you haven’t jailbroken your iDevice, you have nothing to worry about. Now this piece of malware comes on the heels of the Hacking Team iOS malware that only works if you have a “jailbroken” iDevice. Thus underscoring the fact that you are much better of running the default software that came with your iDevice. It’s not as interesting, but it’s way safer.

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The IT Nerd’s Back To School Guide – 2015

Posted in Commentary on August 31, 2015 by itnerd

It’s that time of year again: Back to School! I’ve put together a list of great products from Belkin, Linksys, Roku, Prezi, Sonos, ViewSonic, and Kristall to make sure students have everything they need to head back to the classroom with confidence and style.

QODE Ultimate Pro Keyboard Case for iPad Air 2 – $119.99

Take notes, work on that paper or reply to emails without the bulk of a laptop:

  • Full protection of a case, convenient detachability of a cover and keyboard experience of a laptop – what you need, when you need it
  • Case works with the keyboard or by itself
  • Includes premium metallic Lightning cable to charge your iPad in style

MIXIT Power Pack 4000 – $29.99

Stop hunting frantically for a power outlet when your phone’s about to die half-way through a class:

  • Two built-in USB ports to charge your smartphone and tablet at the same time
  • Comes in five different colours to suit your style
  • Compatible with any USB-powered device

WRT1200AC Dual-Band Smart Wi-Fi Wireless Router – $179.99

Fast, reliable Wi-Fi and open-source flexibility:

  • Fast wireless-AC speeds to keep even a house full of students happy
  • Smart Wi-Fi apps to control your network from your phone
  • Built-in USB 3.0 port for easy file- and printer-sharing
  • Open-source firmware ready

RE6700 AC1200 Amplify Dual-Band Wi-Fi Range Extender – $119.99

No more Wi-Fi dead zones or weak signal! Keep all your devices connected and fast:

  • Easily boost the range of your existing wireless router – works with any model
  • Delivers increased wireless coverage area of up to 10,000 square feet
  • New innovative Crossband technology for a more consistent, stronger Wi-Fi signal
  • Spot Finder technology: unique visual guide lets you use your smartphone, tablet or laptop to find the perfect spot to set up your range finder

Roku 3 streaming player – $109.99

Endless entertainment made easy:

  • Over 1,400 channels of entertainment, including Netflix, Crackle, NHL GameCentre Live, Cineplex Store, YouTube and more
  • Find what you want fast with Roku Search – search across top channels by title, actor or director, or use voice search with the included remote or free Roku mobile app
  • Built-in headphone jack on the Roku 3 remote lets you binge-watch your favourite shows all night without waking your roommate!

Take a look at my Roku 3 review here.

Play:1 Wireless Hi-Fi speaker – $219

All the music on Earth at your fingertips – perfect for studying, partying and everything in between:

  • Deep, crystal clear Hi-Fi sound in a compact design
  • Easy to set up, easy to use: control it with your smartphone, tablet or laptop
  • Play music from your personal library, 100,000 radio stations from around the world or streaming services like Songza, Deezer and Google Play Music

Take a look at my Play:1 review here.

Viewsonic VX2475Smhl-4K 24” Ultra HD Monitor – $469.99 (US MSRP)

The ultimate monitor for gaming and entertainment (and school work too!):

  • Stunning Ultra HD resolution
  • Crystal clear, blur free performance for gaming and movies
  • Flicker-Free and Blue Light Filter technology to help eliminate eye strain from long hours spent on school work, gaming and watching videos (in no particular order, of course)
  • Future proof connectivity options, including DisplayPort 1.2a, MHL and HDMI 2.0

Kristall Liquid Screen Protector – MSRP $29.99 to $34.99

Students take their smartphones and tablets everywhere, usually in pockets or tossed in bags where they often end up with scratched screens. Kristall Liquid Screen Protector is fast and easy to apply without bubbles, is invisible once installed, and resists nicks and scratches with 9H hardness (equivalent to sapphire).

Check out my review on the Kristall Liquid Screen Protector here.

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Review: Thump Comfort Fit Earbuds

Posted in Products with tags , on August 31, 2015 by itnerd

Here’s the latest item from my iStore goodie bag which is the Thump Comfort Fit Earbuds. The whole idea behind these earbuds is that they fit comfortably and eliminate noise while delivering great sound at a really good price point. That’s good on paper. But how do they really work in real life? To find out, I enlisted the help of Marcus Masucci who is a 19 year old student at George Brown College studying marketing. In his spare time, his passions include playing music and singing as well as listening to music. Thus he’d be the ideal person to judge the quality of these earbuds. Here’s what he said about them:

The earbuds have a very good sound quality to them and I was very impressed with the bass levels coming through the buds. The earbuds were also able to handle high levels of sound and volume which is definitely a plus. I found the noise resistance was also very effective. In terms of the ergonomics of the earbuds, in my opinion I find that grip plastic piece of the earbud is a little too big. I find that it sticks out of the ear too much which gives it a bulky look when wearing them.

Overall I was impressed with the sound of the earbuds and would give them a 3.5 out of 5.

They sound like a quality product to me. What seals the deal is that you only have to pony up $17.95 CDN for them. Thanks for reviewing them for me Marcus!

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