Archive for October 13, 2017

AirDroid Arrives For iOS

Posted in Commentary with tags on October 13, 2017 by itnerd

AirDroid, the popular cross-screen management application, today announces its debut on Apple Store, making it possible for users to transfer files wirelessly and remotely between iOS, Mac, Windows, and Android devices for free! AirDroid brings a lighter version to iOS, sporting its signature features including “File Transfer”, “Files” and “Nearby” to empower iOS users first time ever transferring and managing files freely across screens and OSs even without the internet. To kick off, users who download AirDroid on iOS from today to 24:00 15 October (GMT+0) will get a one month premium for free to celebrate the big step for AirDroid to reach out to all iOS users.

As the demand for working across multi-screens and OSs increases, iOS users are still struggling with transferring files to or manage iOS from non-iOS clients. Building upon its commitment – “Delight your multi-screen life” – AirDroid’s launch on iOS responds to growing requests from multi-devices owners, bridging the social and the continuity gap for iPhone, iPod, and iPad users.

Inheriting its wireless tradition, AirDroid on iOS empowers users to transfer photos, URLs, screenshots, and files from iOS devices to any of their other screens using the “Transfer Files” feature without a USB cable. Moreover, via web.airdroid.com, users are able to organize files and photos from desktops anytime, no installation needed, solving the hassle iOS users always have.

Meanwhile, AirDroid beats its competitors by adding powerful features such as “Nearby”and add “Friends”. These features further enhance the social experience of sharing documents with friends without limitation of the proximity or restriction of the internet.Other features such as “Clipboard,” “Videos,” and “Photos” further refine the continuity of the cross-screen experience for users on Android or iOS devices.

The latest version of AirDroid advances the seamless experience for its users and serves a wider range of users. AirDroid iOS 1.0 is now available from either one of the links below: 

https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1194539178 (Browser)

itms-apps://itunes.apple.com/app/id1194539178 (iPhone)

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City of Toronto Congratulates Winners Of Snap & Share Photo Contest

Posted in Commentary with tags on October 13, 2017 by itnerd

The City of Toronto and Nikon Canada are proud to announce the winners of the 2017 Snap & Share photo contest. Produced by Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation and presented by Nikon Canada, the contest attracted more than 1,500 submissions from across Toronto.

Category and Grand Prize Winners
  • Grand Prize winner: Happy Canada Day, Toronto!, taken at Toronto Island Park by Diana Lee
  • Our Common Grounds: Spring 2017, taken at Berczy Park by Alecs Chor
  • Hidden Gems: Deer people watching along the Humber River Recreational Trail, taken at the Humber River Trail by Kinga S.
  • TO Canada With Love: Good Morning Toronto, taken at Humber Bay Park by Helena Chu
  • Toronto Blooms: Monet’s Painting, taken at St. James Park by Leonardo Guizzo
  • City of Sport: Sports on the Bay, taken at Humber Bay Park by Miki Nakai-Powell
  • Toronto Photography Tour: Nature’s Beauty, taken at Corktown Common by Ashley Duffus
Additional Winners
  • People’s Choice: Rocky Destination, taken on the Toronto shoreline by Taylor Power
  • Youth Winner: Geese on the Horizon, taken at Polson Pier by Rocco Zoccoli
  • Youth Winner: Taking a photo, because it lasts longer, taken at St. James Park, by Illia Nikulchuk
  • Twitter Winner: Lakeside Cruising, taken at Trillium Park by Sergio Beristain
  • Instagram Winner: Summer Reflections, taken at Sir Casimir Gzowski Park by Lisa Roberston

An additional 2,500 photos were shared on social media using the hashtag #SnapShareTO. Entries were judged by City staff with the help of Kristian Bogner, a professional photographer and Nikon Canada Ambassador; Neil Ever Osborne, a conservation photographer, filmmaker and Nikon Canada Ambassador; and Taku Kumabe, a freelance photographer and art director. The People’s Choice winner was decided by the public through two rounds of online voting.

The grand prize winner will receive a Nikon D5600 DSLR camera. Winners from the remaining categories will take home a Nikon COOLPIX L840 or A10 camera.

The winning photographs and runners-up can be viewed at toronto.ca/photocontest. Many submissions will also be featured on the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Facebook and Instagram pages http://facebook.com/TorontoPFR and http://instagram.com/torontopfr/

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Over Half Of Gen Zs Interested In On-Demand Work: Intuit

Posted in Commentary with tags on October 13, 2017 by itnerd

From the rise of automation to the explosion of the on-demand and sharing economies, Intuit Canada’s latest report “Generation Z & the Future of Entrepreneurship” examines how seismic shifts in the modern economic landscape has impacted the newest generation of workers’ – Generation Z – attitudes towards their careers and entrepreneurship.

Influenced by the increasingly common side hustle and the rise of services like Uber and Airbnb, Generation Zs are more likely than any other demographic to look beyond the 9- to-5 supplement their income.

  • One in two (52 per cent) Gen Zs would consider on-demand work to make extra cash, a significant 17 per cent more than the national average.
  • One in two (48 per cent) Gen Zs would be interested in freelance or on-demand employment for future careers, and two in three Gen Zs (64 per cent) would consider entrepreneurship.

Intuit’s research also uncovered that salary doesn’t equal success for Gen Z, and neither does a traditional career. Entrepreneur topped the list of dream careers (40 per cent), beating out more traditional jobs like doctor (37 per cent), banker (27 per cent) and lawyer (25 per cent).

  • Nearly one in two Gen Zs agree that flexibility is more important than salary when it comes to their career.
  • Nine in ten (89 per cent) Gen Zs want a career that offers good work/life balance, and eight in ten (78 per cent) want to do something that makes a difference.

Members of Generation Z were brought up in the economic crisis and have witnessed firsthand the shifting nature of work and explosion of the freelance economy. In fact, a recent report from Intuit Canada in partnership with Emergent Research projects that freelancers, independent contractors and on-demand workers will make up 45 percent of the workforce by 2020.

You can read the report here.

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Equifax Won’t Be Getting That $7 Million Contract From The IRS….. For Now

Posted in Commentary with tags on October 13, 2017 by itnerd

Politico is reporting that the $7 million dollar contract that the IRS gave Equifax to do fraud prevention…. Yes that same Equifax that was pwned in epic fashion…… Has been suspended:

The IRS plans to continue reviewing the security of Equifax’s systems during the suspension. The agency had previously said its hands were tied and it had to keep the contract with Equifax.

“The IRS emphasized that there is still no indication of any compromise of the limited IRS data shared under the contract. The contract suspension is being taken as a precautionary step as the IRS continues its review,” agency spokesman Matthew Leas said in a statement.

What could they possibly be reviewing? This is a company that had such craptastic IT practices that it was on the wrong end of the most epic pwnage in history. If that’s not of a reason to steer clear of them, I do not know what would be.

Sometimes, you have to just shake your head.

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Hyatt Hotels Pwned…. Credit Card Info Swiped

Posted in Commentary with tags on October 13, 2017 by itnerd

The pwnage continues with Hyatt Hotels being the latest to get pwned. And it’s not the first time. In the first breach which was in 2015, hackers had gained access to credit card systems at 250 properties in 50 different countries. This time, the breach appears to have impacted 41 properties across 11 countries. Brian Krebs had this to say:

Hyatt said its cyber security team discovered signs of unauthorized access to payment card information from cards manually entered or swiped at the front desk of certain Hyatt-managed locations between March 18, 2017 and July 2, 2017.

“Upon discovery, we launched a comprehensive investigation to understand what happened and how this occurred, which included engaging leading third-party experts, payment card networks and authorities,” the company said in a statement. “Hyatt’s layers of defense and other cybersecurity measures helped to identify and resolve the issue. While this incident affects a small percentage of total payment cards used at the affected hotels during the at-risk dates.

The hotel chain said the incident affected payment card information – cardholder name, card number, expiration date and internal verification code – from cards manually entered or swiped at the front desk of certain Hyatt-managed locations. It added there is no indication that any other information was involved.

The fact that they’ve been pwned twice in two years implies that they have a problem that they need to fix. As in right the hell now.

I keep saying this every time someone gets pwned. There needs to be legislation combined with swift and meaningful punishment for getting pwned to encourage companies do take measures in order to not get pwned. Otherwise, the pwnage will continue and you and I will eventually become collateral damage as part of that.

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Review: Nomad Universal Cable

Posted in Products with tags on October 13, 2017 by itnerd

I am in the midst of updating the kit that I travel with which (I hope) covers any problems that I face on the road. The idea of this kit is to have every cable and piece of software that I might need if I am on a business trip so that I can address minor or moderate issues on my own. One of the areas that I am looking at is cables because I don’t want to carry around a rats nest of cables as they’re just going to tangle. Which is why the Nomad Universal Cable caught my attention:

IMG_0886

This is a cable that has three heads:

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  • Lightning for Apple iDevices (and it’s MFI certified by the way)
  • Mini USB
  • USB-C

The logic is that this cable will work with any smartphone type that you might have. That way if your Android friends need a cable to charge their phone and you’re an iPhone user, you can help them out. In my case, the end of the cable that connects into the computer is USB-A. But those who need USB-C should know that Nomad has a USB-C version of this cable as well which also includes a USB-A connection.

The cable is overbuilt to allow it to survive anything. Specifically:

  • It is wrapped in a 500D Nylon woven in a ballistic weave pattern. This material was originally developed to protect military forces from shrapnel and bullets.
  • It has been lab tested to withstand over 10,000 flex cycles.
  • It has RF shielding to ensure that data transfers work 100% of the time.
  • It has a durable silicon rubber cable tie to allow you to wrap the cable up with no concerns about the cable tie breaking.

On top of all of that, I noted that the ends of the cable have no flex. That means that breaks at the ends of the cable, which is common for a lot of cables out there is a non issue. That explains why the company offers a 5 year warranty on their cables.

In my testing, the cable worked perfectly. Though I note that when you have to use the USB-C or Lightning head, you have to be careful to make sure that you’re popping it on correctly as those heads connect to the Micro USB connector on the cable, and it only fits one way. Other than that, it survived in my car which has a history of killing cables. If this cable can survive that environment, then it’s a winner. So much so that I bought two of them. One is the .3M version which will go into the kit that I spoke of earlier. That one goes for $30 USD. The other is the 1.5M version which will go into my car so that if a passenger needs a charge, I have them covered. That one goes for $35 USD. It’s a no-brainer to recommend if you want to ensure that you have a cable that you can use with any device.

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