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The NSA REALLY Likes The iPhone

Posted in Commentary with tags , , on September 9, 2013 by itnerd

Now I have to admit that I had an “oh crap” moment when I saw this news.com article about the reasons why the iPhone is loved by the NSA. But the more I read it, the (somewhat) better I felt. First, this is what got my attention:

The NSA can retrieve user data on iOS, Android, and BlackBerry devices, according to internal classified documents obtained by German news outlet Der Spiegel. Special task forces within the agency have reportedly studied the three mobile platforms with the goal of accessing the contacts, instant messaging traffic, and location data found on the devices.

The classified documents don’t point to any “large-scale” snooping of smartphone owners, but they do highlight the historic record of a few specific cases. And as detailed in a follow-up story published Monday by Der Spiegel, Apple’s iPhone has been a favorite among NSA agents for several reasons.

The article then goes on to explain how the NSA gets data from iPhones:

NSA programs called “scripts” can spy on 38 different features of the iPhone operating system, though the documents — at least one of which dates back to a 2010 NSA internal report — list just iOS 3 and 4 as the accessible versions. These features include mapping, voice mail, photos, and such apps as Facebook, Yahoo Messenger, and Google Earth.

The NSA also uses the iPhone’s backup files as another infiltration tool, according to Der Spiegel. These files contains such tidbits as contact lists, call logs, and drafts of text messages. And to grab this data, agents don’t even need to hit the iPhone itself — they can simply access the PC used to synchronize with the phone.

Now that’s the part that makes me feel somewhat better. The versions of iOS being referenced in the story are version 3 and 4 of iOS. Now that does not mean any later version such as iOS 6 has anything that the NSA can leverage. We just do not know if that’s the case. Another thing that makes me feel somewhat better. This isn’t, at least not according to story, is that there’s no large scale snooping going on that anyone knows about. Finally when it comes to the backup files, perhaps encrypting them will make them unreadable as you do have that option. Though there’s a report that the NSA can crack encryption so who knows?

Hmmm… Re-reading all of this, I don’t feel somewhat better actually. Does anyone else feel the same?

 

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Toronto’s Festival of Beer Has An App For That!

Posted in Commentary with tags , , on July 21, 2013 by itnerd

The upcoming Toronto Festival Of Beer now has an app with festival info. The app provides attendees with an interactive map of Bandshell Park showcasing the Festival’s beloved brewers with personalized profiles for all of the culinary partners and Festival exhibitors. Updated daily, this app also features the latest and greatest schedules for the main stage, the Labatt Grilling Tent, and the educational Brewmaster Series presented by Niagara Brewing College.

The app also allows users to integrate with social media platforms and the splash page grants immediate access to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; in addition to an info section that explains more about the festival, the owners and how to use the app.   For some mindless fun check out the “Sliding Puzzle” and the photo booth feature is also great for sharing your Festival experience with Friends! And to sweeten the pot, there is also a voting function that allows attendees to select their top three brewers of TFOB 2013. By voting, consumers also have a chance to win two tickets to Toronto’s Festival of Beer for LIFE. Nice!

Available for Android and iOS, you can get the app from http://www.oneevent-oneapp.com/tfob-2013/ and use it at the Toronto Festival Of Beer on July 26th-28th. 

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NRA Releases A Target Shooting App Aimed At Kids 4 And Up…. WTF??

Posted in Commentary with tags , on January 14, 2013 by itnerd

This is the most tasteless app I have ever heard of.

The National Rifle Association released an iOS app that allows you to take target practise. Here’s why I am completely disgusted:

  1. This app is aimed at kids as young as four. Basically, about the same age as those kids who were massacred at Sandy Hook school not too long ago. 
  2. Pay one dollar to allow you to access more powerful weapons such as an AK47 or an MK11. In other words, you get access to similar types of weapons as the one used in the Sandy Hook shooting.

Now it claims to teach you about gun safety, but that’s just cover one has to believe.

This is just plain stupid on the part of the NRA. Why they thought it was a great idea to release an app like this given the discussion going on about guns in the United States is beyond me. What’s worse, Apple was actually stupid enough to approve this app. If they were smart, they’d take this app down as it has no place on any phone anywhere at any time.

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iOS 6 Ships And The Maps App Gets Ripped….. Google To The Rescue…. Eventually

Posted in Commentary with tags , , on September 20, 2012 by itnerd

iOS 6 was released to the world yesterday, and it didn’t take long for the Maps application to earn the ire of users due to missing features and glitches. For example, the BBC did a story on this and here’s some highlights…. Or rather lowlights:

  • Some towns appear to be missing, such as Stratford-upon-Avon and Solihull. Others, like Uckfield in East Sussex, are in the wrong location.
  • Satellite images of various locations, particularly in Scotland, are obscured by cloud.
  • A search for Manchester United Football Club directs users to Sale United Football Club, a community team for ages five and above.
  • Users also reported missing local places, such as schools, or strange locations. Another screenshot showed a furniture museum that was apparently located in a river.

#fail

Apple stung by this put out a statement:

“Customers around the world are upgrading to iOS 6 with over 200 new features including Apple Maps, our first map service,” spokeswoman Trudy Muller told AllThingsD. “We are excited to offer this service with innovative new features like Flyover and Siri integration, and free turn by turn navigation. We launched this new map service knowing that it is a major initiative and we are just getting started with it. We are continuously improving it, and as Maps is a cloud-based solution, the more people use it, the better it will get. We’re also working with developers to integrate some of the amazing transit apps in the App Store into iOS Maps. We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better.”

Having said that, if you read the AllThingsD story right to the end, the Maps team is “under lockdown” to fix the app. Draw from that what you will.

Now Google has submitted an iOS 6 version of their maps application to Apple for release in the App Store. But seeing as Apple of holding up the release of Google apps, don’t hold your breath for a quick release of that. Thus iOS 6 users appear to be screwed until Google Maps gets released or Apple gets their half baked Maps app fixed.

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BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Hits The Streets…. Does Anybody Care?

Posted in Commentary with tags , , , on April 3, 2012 by itnerd

There’s news from the sinking ship known as RIM today. BlackBerry Mobile Fusion which allows iOS and Android devices to be managed from a BES server or from a separate computer was released today. Here’s what the product does from the press release:

In addition to providing unmatched functionality for BlackBerry devices, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion also provides comprehensive mobile device management capabilities for iOS and Android devices including:

  • Support for multiple devices per user
  • Application and software management
  • Connectivity management (Wi-Fi®, VPN, certificates)
  • Centralized, easy to use, unified web-based console
  • Security and policy definition and management
  • Asset management
  • Configuration  management
  • Security and protection for lost or stolen devices (remote lock, wipe)
  • User- and group-based administration
  • High scalability

Here’s another key point from the press release:

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion software is available as a free download and is priced by the number of devices being managed. Client access licenses (CALs) start at $99 per user or $4 per user per month (billed annually); volume discounts are also available. In addition, RIM is offering a 60 day free trial, so customers can deploy a pilot before purchasing a single CAL. The 60 day free trial is available at https://www.blackberry.com/eBES/trialOrder.do?id=121.

You’ll need to download the iOS or Android client to every device you want to manage and the cost for the clients is $0.

Too bad it doesn’t matter.

What RIM is doing is using the “if you can’t beat them, join them” logic. They can’t beat Apple or Google so they have decided to co-exist with them and make money from the service end of things. All of this assumes that businesses won’t simply dump their BES servers and run iOS and Android devices from their MS Exchange servers directly. Too bad that’s exactly what’s happening. If they came out with this a year ago, I might be thinking differently. But since they came out with this today, it has #irrelevant written all over it.

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iOS 4.2 Arrives For iPad, iPod Touch, And iPhone

Posted in Commentary with tags , on November 22, 2010 by itnerd

For those of you who like to use Mr. Jobs shiny iDevices, you’re going to love the fact that Apple has released iOS 4.2. Here’s why you might want to upgrade:

  • Multitasking on iPad
  • AirPrint – Print wirelessly to a growing list of printers without a driver. Interesting
  • AirPlay – Stream media wirelessly from iOS device to another iOS device.
  • Find My iDevice – Find, lock, and remote wipe your iDevice if you lose it. This is a feature that you were forced to pay for by buying a a MobileMe account at $99/yr. Now it’s free. About time!

You can check the link above for all the details. As I speak, fanbois all over are upgrading their iDevices to get the latest and greatest from “Steve-O.”

Oh yeah, if you have an Apple TV, there’s an update for you too that brings some of these features to those users.

So, what do you think of these updates? Post your comments below.

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