Archive for Smartphone

Woman Gets Phone Stolen. Then Nude Selfies Appear In Her Dropbox

Posted in Commentary with tags , , , on January 17, 2014 by itnerd

Imagine this. Your phone gets stolen and you report it to the cops. You then get the phone replaced and you go on with life. That’s what happened to Victoria Brodsky. Apparently her Samsung Galaxy S3 and her wallet were stolen at a street festival and she moved on when she got her phone got replaced.

Then this happens according to news.com:

For in her Dropbox she discovered images and footage of a naked couple. Brodsky herself wasn’t a party to this writhing party. The dates on the images suggested that they had been taken between the time her phone had disappeared and a replacement had arrived.

She had, indeed, linked her Galaxy with her Dropbox, and here were images of trouser-dropping carnality from another galaxy.

The lady and gentleman in question look broodily into the camera. As for the videos, Brodsky told the Daily News: “Sex looks very boring in their house.”

That’s right. It appears that the couple have been using the stolen phone which is set to auto load photos to Brodsky’s Dropbox account to shoot some nude selfies. This of course is getting all sorts of attention. Except from the police who will not act on this because she can’t prove that the frolicking couple stole the phone. I find that to be lame because at the very least, they’re in possession of stolen property which the last time I checked was illegal. Hopefully now that this story is going viral on the Internet, the cops will actually do something about this. Or the couple who’s pictures are now all over the Internet have the good sense to turn themselves in…. Assuming someone doesn’t turn them in.

Leave a comment »

AnandTech Says Almost Everyone Cheats On Benchmarks

Posted in Commentary with tags , on October 2, 2013 by itnerd

Yesterday, I posted a story on the fact that Samsung was being accused of cheating on benchmark tests by AnandTech. Today, AnandTech is saying almost everyone in the Android universe cheats when it comes to benchmark tests. They’ve posted a very lengthy report on this. While I encourage you to read it, I’ll give you the executive summary. It would be a shorter list to tell you who isn’t cheating when it comes to benchmarks. The companies that are running clean are:

  • Motorola
  • Apple

That’s a pretty short list. I Included Apple because according to the report, they don’t cheat either. That implies that you may not be getting the performance that you’re paying for. And it’s likely to become difficult to detect going forward:

Going forward I expect all of this to become more heavily occluded from end user inspection. App detects alone are pretty simple, but what I expect to happen next are code/behavior detects and switching behavior based on that.

That’s not good at all for anyone. I would be interested to hear these companies who do cheat explain their rationale.

Leave a comment »

Report Shows That Mobile Networks Grow At A Staggering Rate

Posted in Commentary with tags , on November 24, 2012 by itnerd

A new mobility report [Warning: PDF] published by Ericsson this week shows that mobile networks continues to grow at an impressive rate worldwide. While voice calls remain a cornerstone of most mobile operators’ service offerings, it is data growth, driven by the uptake of smart devices and apps, which is having the most significant impact on networks globally. The growing availability of mobile broadband has raised user expectations of mobile network quality in order to provide sufficient speed to run apps anywhere and anytime.

Here are some key findings:

  • Global mobile penetration reached 91% in Q3 2012 and mobile subscriptions now total around 6.4 billion.
  • 54% of people who use social forums or chats while watching video and TV say they do so using a smartphone.
  • The growth of smartphones has been tremendous fuelled by users growing appetite for internet access and for using apps.
  • The advertisements in the free version of an app lead to higher data volumes and an increased number of requests to access the network. This traffic could exceed the cost of the premium version of the app.
  • The advertisements in the free version of an app increased battery consumption by 25% compared with the premium version.
  • Approximately 40% of all mobile phones sold in Q3 2012 were smartphones

This shows jut how ubiquitous smartphones have become across the world. I’d take a look at the report as it was really enlightening.

Leave a comment »

Surprise! If Your Employer Gave You A Smartphone, You Work More

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 30, 2012 by itnerd

Good Technology who makes security products and push e-mail services for smartphones did a study that I just tripped over today. The study states that if your employer supplied you with a smartphone, you fully expect to be working more:

In a survey of US working adults sponsored by Good Technology, more than 80 percent of people continue working when they have left the office – for an average of seven extra hours each week – almost another full day of work. That’s a total of close to 30 hours a month or 365 extra hours every year. They’re also using their cell phones to mix work and their personal life in ways never seen before.

Here are the key stats:

  • 68 percent of people check their work emails before 8 a.m.
  • The average American first checks their phone around 7:09 a.m.
  • 50 percent check their work email while still in bed
  • The work day is growing – 40 percent still do work email after 10 p.m.
  • 69 percent will not go to sleep without checking their work email
  • 57 percent check work emails on family outings
  • 38 percent routinely check work emails while at the dinner table

Here’s the problem that I see with this trend. First, you’re not being paid for this extra work. Second, there’s no line between work and life. Both of which are problematic. Sure these devices can help you to be more productive, but at the same time there have to be limits. Employers need to set limits to the use of these devices. They cannot expect workers to be available simply because they hand out these devices.

What do you think? Are employers taking advantage of their workforce by giving them smartphones? Do workers have to better manage their work life balance? Does something extreme like changes to the laws that govern labor have to be done? Post a comment and share your thoughts.

Leave a comment »

Hey IT Nerd! I Want An iPhone 4S. Which One Should I Get? 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB?

Posted in Tips with tags , on July 14, 2012 by itnerd

This is a question I get a lot. What iPhone 4S should I get? 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB? It depends what type of user you are. Do you take lots of photos? Do you plan on using the video camera? Do you have a large music collection? Those are all factors that will influence which phone you buy. Not only that, but you have to remember that the iPhone is not expandable. So you must choose wisely. Here’s how I would make my decision:

  • If you just need a smartphone and you don’t plan on storing a lot of photos or music or apps on it, or you’re not a heavy video user, then get the 16GB version. If this is you, you’re not a person who’s going to need a lot of space. Thus you can get the entry level iPhone 4S.
  • If you’re the type that wants lots of apps and wants to leverage the 8MP camera for both stills and video, then the 32GB iPhone 4S is for you. You’ll need the space and have room left over.
  • If you’re a video or photo addict and you have a huge music library or you want every app that you can get, the 64GB iPhone 4S is for you. The video part is key. One hour of 1080p video takes up roughly 10GB of space. Thus you’re going to need 64GB.

Oh, for people looking for other smartphones, you can likely take this logic and apply it to whatever phone you’re looking at.

Leave a comment »