Happy Windows 10 day, to everybody from Computer Geeks! Today is the day countless people from 190 countries can upgrade from Windows 7, 8, and Windows Phone 8.1 (hopefully nobody’s still holding onto XP!) to Windows 10. And there won’t be a Windows 11.
While Windows 10 is available on PCs, it’s clearly geared toward mobile use. Windows 10’s start button and menu are easy and more manageable. That’s good news for frustrated Windows 8 customers. They’re offering free upgrades for a reason. It’s not out of their generous hearts. They know Apple and Google/Android are on their trail. Thus, Microsoft wants Windows 10 on as many PCs, laptops and smartphones as possible. Currently and financially, the free upgrade isn’t that big of a risk. Windows is less than 3% of Window’s overall revenue. The majority of that doesn’t come from Windows users, but from hardware companies installing their products on PCs and businesses paying for annual and multi-annual licencing. Speaking of PCs, new computers and smartphones already carrying Windows 10 go on sale today. By 2018, Microsoft hopes to have Windows 10 on over a billion machines. ?In conjunction with the Windows 10 debut, celebrations are going on around the world to mark the occasion. Using the hashtags #UpgradeYourWorld and #Vote, you can go on social media to vote for Microsoft’s tenth global charity. I’m going to vote later on because I see a much needed winner. What’s your vote?
So Windows only represents two and a half percent of Microsoft’s entire payroll. Why should Microsoft even put this much effort in Windows 10? Microsoft is putting their reputation on the line. Windows is Microsoft‘s baby, and they need Windows 10 to be the best Windows ever. If Windows users are let down, they can easily go to Apple or Android. And since much of Windows’ profit comes from businesses, they’re not going to like a dysfunctional, inept, disappointing Windows 10. There goes that revenue. What else is on the line with Windows 10 debut?
Samsung is about to release it’s next crop of tablet/smartphone products. So is it’s rival, Apple. But this year, Samsung plays a date game for to keep a competitive edge.
Samsung is scheduled to release it’s newest smartphone-tablet hybrids in August instead of September. That’s when Apple usually releases their next iPhone. In previous years, Apple tends to dominate the tech media and consumer wallets for weeks afterwards. Surely you’ve seen the lines at Apple stores. I’ve even seen people in sleeping bags camping out the night before. But Samsung is no slouch either. In September 2011, Samsung released it’s first Galaxy Note. The Galaxy Note became such a popular money maker that Samsung became credited for a new tech phenomenon: the phablet. That’s a combination of tablet and cell phone. Since then, a new Galaxy Note would be released a Galaxy Note would be released twice a year. September is one of those times. But September 2014 brought two complications: iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. They were released just weeks before Galaxy Note 4 phones were. Apple won that contest by almost by consumer landslide. This year, Samsung will launch this year’s masterpiece before Apple does to avoid last year’s fate.
And I don’t know what to say about this one. As businessmen, I can understand this move. They were trampled by Apple last year. They’re don’t want to get trampled again. But I wonder does Samsung have a confidence problem? Okay, they were blindsided last year. But their Galaxy Note franchise has been extremely successful over the years. They can stand up to iPhone easily. I’d like to see both Apple and Samsung release their products the same day just to see what the end results are. I see long lines for both entities. So Samsung’s moving up their release dates. Is this an act of business smarts? Or is it an act of fear?
What’s the worst way to end a romantic relationship? Is it through email? Is it through texting? Is it through ghosting? Or do they send their new lover to…ahem…’communicate’ that it’s over? There’s an app that may trump them all.
This is where the Binder app comes in. Using the theme, “It’s time they got the message,” this app is the ultimate communicator in breaking up. The app was built in the United Kingdom. It’s named after a British slang term ‘binned’, which means dumped your girlfriend. It was built as a joke. But knowing how people are today, you know this app is going to be used to seriously end bad relationships. The app asks the relationship breaker to input the name, number, and gender of the person they intend to break up with. Then they ask the breaker to choose the reason. And these reasons don’t let you down easy. Reasons include, “It’s better to have loved and lost, so on that note, get lost” and “Our relationship is patchy as your beard” and “It’s not me, it’s you.” ?Binder creates a card, adds a pre-recorded voicemail, and sends it to your?soon to be ex. The voicemail is even less kind. It whispers sweet nothings like, “I hate your face. [Your boyfriend] is sick in his mouth every time he sees you around.” But this is supposed to be a joke, right?
I learned a long time ago that technology isn’t the problem. It’s the human heart and mind behind the technology. And when I look at how evil today’s human hearts and minds are, the Binder app will become far from a joke. I shutter to think how many relationships will end and divorces will happen and families will break up through Binder. We rarely communicate with each other anymore. I went to a restaurant and nobody at this table said a word to each other from start to finish. They just all looked at their smartphones. At this one dance party, instead of dancing, they played with their phone. Albert Einstein said, “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” I’ll go even further. I fear we have a generation of sociopaths. Is the technological and social climate just right for Binder to break hearts and destroy lives?
Samsung, one of the biggest phone makers today and of all-time, is facing a problem. In fact, Samsung faces 600 million problems.
Let me explain. There is a default keyboard threat facing as many as 600 million Samsung phones. The pre-installed SwiftKey keyboard looked for language updates while over unencrypted territory and in plain text. This leaves the door open to create phony proxy servers. These servers can send malware to venerable devices and data to keep bad code on the device. That way, they can further exploit the users’ device. Do you know the power this gives a hacker? They can exploit this keyboard mishap and get a Samsung user’s name, address, email, SSN, text messages, bank information, social media passwords, and anything else they want. Not only that, the malware can be used to spy on users near and far, invading privacy. This discovery was made by Ryan Welton, a security expert representing a firm called NowSecure. Welton talked about the potential attack at a Blackhat Security Summit. According to NowSecure CEO Andrew Hoog, this threat likely affected Samung Android devices like S3, S4, S5, Galaxy Note 3, and Galaxy Note 4. A SwiftKey spokesperson said they are investigating this threat. The spokesperson also said SwiftKey apps on Google Play and the App Store isn’t affected by this threat.
Let me make it clear: This is just a warning. The cyber attack hasn’t happened and it isn’t happening now. So don’t go throwing away your Samsung Galaxy phones away. But you should be alerted of this threat. Some have said to me, “Talking about the threat will give hackers ideas.” Believe me, they’ve already thought of this. Ryan Welton is investigating and bloggers like me are reporting this because you need to know. Now what is SwiftKey going to do about it? What are you going to do about it?
Level 3 Communications is a multinational telecommunications company and ISP. This company is taking a unique approach of fighting the war against cyber crime.
The charge is led by Brett Wentworth, Level 3’s security director. Instead of reacting to a hack attack, he’s preventing one. He cut off data from reaching a group of Chinese servers. It’s believed these servers were involved in an active hacking. This decision wasn’t Wentworth’s alone. It was made after a decision making meeting. Many say this is a risky approach because hackers often attack legitimate machines, raising the risk of damage by turning away a business using the same servers. But in the last several years, the attacks have increased all over the cyber world with frequency and intensity. The people at Level 3 believe it’s worth the risk. And this incident hasn’t been the only one. In fact, every three weeks or so, Level 3 shuts down questionable traffic that doesn’t involve customers. If the source of this traffic is hard to discover, it intercepts traffic from large blocks of Internet addresses. One time, that meant stopping a large bunch of traffic from Hong Kong that was dubbed ‘junk’. Wentworth and other Level 3 security leaders remain unapologetic. Brett Wentworth himself said in a statement, “Sometimes you have to cut off the finger to save the body.”
If this came out five years ago, I would consider the Level 3 approach extreme. But in 2015, my question is, why aren’t more communication/Internet companies following suit? In the past year alone, billions of dollars have been lost and many lives have been destroyed due to cyber crime. All it takes is one threat and one hacker to ruin it all. I applaud Level 3 in their actions and we all need to protect ourselves from the fastest growing threat to our society today. What will it take to wake Internet companies up to this?
Memorial Day Weekend is a chance for us to reflect on how free we Americans are, and those who sacrificed their lives so we can be free. Some nations don’t have that. In Saudi Arabia, Christianity is illegal. In Saudi Arabia, women are forbidden to drive cars. In Saudi Arabia, political parties and unions are banned. But Saudi social media becomes a beacon of light.
Debates are happening, though they are on Twitter. Men and women are dating, though their relationships are confined to WhatsApp and Snapchat. Women are being discriminated in the workplace. But that doesn’t stop them from selling jewelry and food through Instagram. Since they’re legally banned from driving, they’re using Uber. In Saudi Arabia, businesses close five times a day for prayer. Do you need to make that coffee, fast food, or grocery run? Check your smartphone device to see which store is nearest and what the hours are. Unlike some Middle Eastern nations, Saudi Arabian cities aren’t destroyed by war. Their economy is fairly stable, so many can afford computer and smartphone devices. They have a big youthful population; the interest is there. They have access to speedy Internet connections. And the Saudi government doesn’t block social media sites. Basically, the combination of online freedom, a good economy, and strict social restrictions is a breeding ground for social media explosion.
And this should tell the authorities there people are going to do what they have to in the name of freedom. So men and women can’t court at a restaurant or mall? They can online. Two parties can’t debate the issues on Saudi TV? Political opportunity will be found online. Do you think this opportunity will eventually trickle down to the physical world?
We at Computer Geeks would like to wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day. We remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and democracy. We realize freedom is never free.
