Archive for October 30, 2018

Apple Pulls watchOS 5.1 Update After Reports Of The Update Bricking Some Apple Watches

Posted in Commentary with tags on October 30, 2018 by itnerd

As I type this Apple has pulled the watchOS 5.1 update that was released earlier today after reports of the update bricking devices started to pop up on  Reddit, Twitter, and other places. The symptoms that people are seeing are that after installing the watchOS 5.1 update, users getting stuck on the Apple logo. Restarting the Apple Watch and paired iPhone doesn’t seem to fix the issue and some users have been waiting several hours with no change in behavior. The only fix that seems to be out there is a full Apple Watch replacement.

How many Apple Watches are affected by this? That isn’t clear. It is clear that not everyone who owns an Apple Watch is affected as I was able to update just fine for example shortly after the update was released. But whatever the issue is, it brings back memories of Apple pulling iOS 8.0.1 when it killed cellular service for iPhone users and watchOS 3.1.1 being pulled by Apple after it bricked devices.

Today was a really good PR day for Apple having released a ton of new hardware that was well received. Too bad that this day ended on a major downer for them. I hope for their sakes that they can get this sorted and quickly, and if they are smart they should bundle in a public apology too for this PR disaster.

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So…. What Did Apple Announce In New York Today?

Posted in Commentary with tags on October 30, 2018 by itnerd

Quite a bit was announced at an Apple event in New York this morning. Let me run through the list:

  • Apple announced a new MacBook Air which includes a 13″ Retina Display(!). It hits the streets with two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and one headphone jack. From a looks perspective it looks like a MacBook as it comes in three colors. Apple’s T2 security chip is on board along with an 8th-gen Intel Core i5 processor with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1.5TB of SSD storage. You can order it today and expect to get it a week from today starting at $1199 USD.
  • We finally have a new Mac Mini that is clearly aimed at pro users as the starting price of $799 USD is a healthy increase over what Apple had out there. The new Mac mini can include up to 64 GB RAM and Core i7 processors, and all models feature solid state drives up to 2TB. The Apple T2 chip is on board along with gigabit Ethernet, four Thunderbolt 3 ports, HDMI port, and USB-A. You can also configure it with 10 Gigabit Ethernet if you so choose. Oh year, there’s a new space gray finish too. You can order it today and it will be available next week.
  • There’s a new iPad Pro with a full-screen design, flat edge, rounded corners, Face ID, and insane storage and performance. The screen is a Liquid Retina display just like the iPhone XR. Under the hood is a A12 Bionic X process with 8-cores and a 7-core GPU. That serves up 35% faster CPU year-over-year. 90% faster CPU for multicore. 1000x faster graphics performance. 1TB of storage is available and so is USB-C. There’s a new Apple Pencil and automatically pairs and charges wirelessly. It magnetically snaps to the new iPad Pro too. There’s also a Smart Keyboard Folio also a new accessory with an adjustable screen-angle. iPad Pro 11-inch priced from $799 USD, and iPad Pro 12.9-inch priced from $999 USB. You can order it today and it will be available next week. Also of note, the older iPad pros are still available.

Also, it was mentioned that iOS 12.1 is out today at most likely 1PM EST. It will bring Group FaceTime, dual SIM support for the new iPhones, and 70 new emojis. I would not be surprised if a macOS Mojave, tvOS 12, and watchOS 5 update ships as well.

I am also watching to see if anything else pops up because Apple does have a habit of making changes after an event without letting anyone know about it. So stay tuned to this post as I will update things accordingly.

UPDATE: The full video of today’s event is available here.

UPDATE #2: As expected, just after 1PM EST this happened:

I have confirmed that tvOS 12.1 is out too along with an update to the HomePod. In other news, Apple apparently has killed off the rose gold 12″ MacBook. It has been replaced with a gold version.

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Guest Post: NordVPN Discusses How to Protect the Privacy of One’s Mobile Device

Posted in Commentary with tags on October 30, 2018 by itnerd

According to a Q4 report by We Are Social of 2018 Global Digital Trends, there are almost 4.2 billion people using the internet and 3.4 billion active social media users.

Millions of new users, especially across Africa and South Asia, have started using the internet for the first time in the past few months. Most of them are connecting through mobile devices.

In general, mobile internet usage accounts for more than half of all global web traffic. Google’s Consumer Barometer survey says that users are five times more likely to go online via their phones.

“Mobile phones are now our favorite tools for internet browsing. However, not many people realize that mobile devices have even more data privacy concerns than computers,” said Ruby Gonzalez, Communications Director of NordVPN. “Basically, a mobile phone acts as a spy – it tracks its owner’s location and gives a lot less control over privacy than a computer would.”

People rely on their mobile phones not only for social interactions but also for banking, sharing data, storing passwords and other sensitive information. As such, they are vulnerable to security breaches, as well as personal hacking attacks, especially when using public Wi-Fion their phones.

NordVPN has put together some advice on how to protect one’s privacy on a mobile phone:

1. Recognize suspicious SMS. One of the most common “smishing” attacks is a text message that contains a link to mobile malware. Once a user clicks on it, a malicious app can be installed on their smartphone. In another example, a scammer can use techniques that are common for charities when a disaster strikes. A charity may send a text message saying “Flood,” and once a user responds with the code word “Prevent,” they automatically donate a certain amount of money to the organization.

Users should be careful about clicking on any SMS links or replying to messages. It’s also a good idea to use NordVPN’s CyberSec feature, which is designed to block malicious sites and phishing links.

2. Be careful when downloading apps.There are fake apps designed specifically to collect one’s information or install malware. It’s best to download apps directly from official app stores (iTunes, Android or Amazon) and to check for any signs that might scream the app is fake. For example, grammar mistakes indicate an app is not legitimate and so do requests to enter one’s private information.

3. Install a mobile VPN app.A VPN encrypts all the traffic flow between the Internet and a user’s device. When shopping, banking, or sharing personal information online, users are advised to be aware of unique threats mobile device users face and to always use a VPN. NordVPN’s mobile app (available for iOS and Android devices) provides secure encryption and user-friendly design and functionality.

4. Make sure your software is up to date.Hackers often exploit privacy and security holes – those holes are patched up withsoftware updates. Therefore, it’s important to keep one’s software always up to date.

In addition, NordVPN recommends usinge passcodes to lock one’s phone (they should be more difficult than “1234” or one’s birthday) and not to click on any suspicious links received by email.

 

 

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Text Message Spam & “Spam” Hit Rogers Wireless Customers

Posted in Commentary with tags on October 30, 2018 by itnerd

It seems that if you’re a Rogers Wireless customer, you’re getting hit spam and “spam.” I’ll start with the actual spam. Rogers customers seem to be receiving messages like this one:

Needless to say this is spam and it looks like a new version of this scam that I came across some time ago. Thus if you are a Rogers customer and you get one of these text messages, don’t click on the link. Instead, forward the message to 7726 (SPAM) and Rogers will investigate.

Now onto the “spam.” Something that blew up my inbox overnight is the fact that Rogers customers are getting text messages via Rogers  “GeoTxt” ad service which used to be called Rogers Alerts. It sends coupon offers when a user is geographically close to a Rogers partner. And this isn’t going over too well with customers.

Ryan Cash, the founder of Built by Snowman which is part of the reason why he has a blue checkmark on his Twitter account and his message to Rogers to the point. This is how Rogers responded:

In short, by being a Rogers customer it appears that you automatically opt in to this service. And that isn’t good as it kind of reminds me of the Negative Option Billing fiasco that blew up in 1996 here in Canada. Consumers reacted negatively to that at the time, and there seems to be a similar reaction now:

Rogers really would be well advised to change this practise ASAP as it clearly has upset customers. That doesn’t help with retention rates. Nor does it help with Rogers reputation. I’ll be watching to see what happens next in terms of Rogers addressing this or hoping that this blows over.

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