Maybe you’ve been vacationing in a very remote place over the weekend. If so, the technology and celebrity world came together under some of the worst possible circumstances.
Over the weekend, revealing pictures of A-List celebrities like movie star Jennifer Lawrence were released into the Internet by a computer hacker. It’s reported these celebrities’ iCloud accounts were hacked into and their intimate pictures are stolen. The iCloud is supposed to help Apple product users move data between their devices. Ms. Lawrence reported the cyber attack to authorities as soon as she got wind of it. Now the FBI is involved, only claiming they know about the incident and are seeking the hackers behind this incident.
We’re only within a week Apple’s big announcement. Now, that announcement could be in jeopardy. They may have to turn their excitement about a new iPhone or iWatch into cleaning up this iCloud hacking mess. Looks like Tim Cook and company are going to have to keep the champagne on ice a little while longer. And see what happens when you let a cloud keep floating without proper security protection? Jennifer Lawrence herself tweeted a complaint about it’s complications months before this happened. What lesson can Apple learn from this to keep not only celebrities, but the general public at large safe?
And don’t even get me started on the perverts…ahem…hackers who perpetrated this crime. And that’s exactly what this is, a crime. What these hackers are doing aren’t cool, sexy or revolutionary. It’s just plain wrong and sick. Some will say, “You shouldn’t be putting that online.” Let’s not blame the victims here. The hackers shouldn’t be violating people’s privacy. So if anyone whose reading this getting some sinister ideas, think twice. One guy who thought it was fun to hack people’s accounts and put their risque photos online is now serving ten years in prison. So what can we do to keep ourselves safe?
This year, Amazon has created many ways to expand it’s empire, from drones to grocery delivery services. They’ve created their own credit card reader system, geared toward small businesses and to compete against systems like Square. It turns out they’re only scratching the surface.
Now they’re planning their own in-store payment system. They’re trying to make it easier for brick-and-motor shops (stores with physical presence and transactions between real people) to sell with Amazon. Meanwhile, Amazon shoppers can get their merchandise the same day it was paid for. The shippers’ job would be shortened greatly. If Amazon can convince business owners to use their in-store payment system, this could change everything for everybody. One way this could happen is the customer reserves the product on Amazon.com and they go to the physical store to pick it up. Or, customers see what they like, buy it at the store, and have it delivered the same day. As expected, Amazon personnel are being hush about this potential system. Wouldn’t want to spill too much too early. And whose to say this system will ever launch at all?
First and foremost, Amazon needs to start building trust relationships with these business owners. Nobody is going to do anything with you or for you unless they trust you. I would aim for mid-level businesses. Major corporations will probably be harder to coax into this system. Small businesses may not have the power or will to carry such a system. Nothing of this magnitude will happen quickly or suddenly. I doubt you will see Amazon’s in-store payment system anytime in 2014. This could do a lot of people a lot of good. Businesses could get more revenue through Amazon. Customers can get their product faster than waiting days for shipping. But could this system hinder small businesses and their systems?
In our weekly video today we are going to talk about an under rated installer called Ninite.? This is a pretty impressive type of installer.? All you have to do is go to ninite.com and look at all of the applications that can be installed.? To give you an example of why Ninite is so valuable, take for example Skype.? Typically you have to go through a whole process when installing these programs.? With Ninite you don’t have to go through all of sign up and information gathering.
Another great program that is a must have for many Windows 8 owners is Classic Start.? As you know with Windows 8 there is no Windows start button and if you have upgraded to Windows 8.1 the start button takes you to the tile screen.? Everyone I have spoken too hates these new “improvements” to the Windows platform.? Well the Classic Start program does exactly what it says in the title.? It gives you back your classic start button.? With this you can click on your start button and not be taken to that tile screen but instead have original start button that just brings up a column of applications and folders to select from like the good old days of Windows 7.? A program like this is really key for those who want to get the latest operating system Microsoft has to offer but not have to deal with some of the more glaring issues of the new operating system.
So there you have it.? Ninite is a must goto installer if you are starting fresh with a new computer or even reinstalled your operating system on your old computer.? Either way it saves? you time and hassle with installing pretty much any program you need that is free.
Computer Geeks is a computer repair company headquartered in Boston, MA.? We enable our customers with free programs that can help them keep their computers clean. Computer Geeks has found that Avast 2014 is one of the better free antivirus choices on the market.
Now it is true that there are paid versions of Avast that give extra protection, but for the majority of our customers the free antivirus version is sufficient. Please note that just because you have antivirus protection that you are still vulnerable to possible infections. Computer Geeks would like to remind everyone that it’s important that you be diligent in what you click and what sites you visit. New viruses are created every day and unfortunately many times your antivirus definitions may not be up to date to fight them. So please be aware of some of the following suspicious items: emails from friends or people in your address book stating something has happened to them sounding unrealistic or strange, unfamiliar links sent to you via email, Facebook, Twitter and alike may also have viruses accompanying them.
As stated above, it is a team effort to keep viruses out of your computer. However it is possible that even with protection you can be infected. If infected with a virus of any kind, please note that Computer Geeks does computer repair in Boston and across the United States. The Avast solution is not only for consumers, but for standard computers in a business it can also be a great help. Computer Geeks also offers small business computer help if any businesses are in need.
If you already have antivirus but are not happy with it, once your subscription is finished with your former antivirus program, we would recommend uninstalling your antivirus and installing Avast and try it out for the free year they give you. You may download the free version here at Avast’s website.
p.s. There has been some known issues with the newest version of Avast conflicting with some programs. There is a deep screen feature in Avast 2014 that has been causing these issues. There have been reports that the newer downloads have this feature automatically shut off but please verify after your install and if you have Avast 2014 already please check to see if Deep Screen is on. Below is a step by step process on shutting off this feature to protect you against conflicts between Avast and other programs you may use.
Step 1:
First click the bottom right hand corner and select the Avast symbol and right click it. Once you do that click on open avast! user interface:
Step 2:
Now that the interface is opened you will want to go to the Settings section the left side at the bottom:
Step 3:
Finally you will want to click on Antivirus and go to the Deep Screen area and uncheck the box. Once done click OK at the bottom and you have successfully turned off the Deep Screen feature:
If you don’t know what Nest is, they make smoke detectors and thermostats. Now Nest, who just purchased Dropcam, is being acquired by Google for 3.2 billion dollars. Got that? According to Nest co-founder Matt Rodgers, Dropcam will be moving it’s headquarters from San Francisco to Palo Alto, CA, the heart of Silicon Valley. Dropcam’s home security cameras will run you little money a pop, but that’s just part of this story. Dropcam once tried to use existing cameras to support video achieves. But since most of the market wasn’t buying it, they made their own.
I’m pretty concerned about these acquisitions. It’s not just because one corporation will have so much power and dominance, leaving little if any room for competition. So Google wants to control the home thermostat and smoke detector market now?? But privacy issues come to mind. With Google and Nest owning Dropcam, can’t that give them a license to look into our homes and businesses, even during our most private moments? Nest insists we shouldn’t worry. They claim, “Dropcam will come under Nest?s privacy policy, which explains that data won?t be shared with anyone (including Google) without a customer?s permission.” I’ll believe it when I see it. Am I being too skeptical here?
I’ve talked quite a bit about the upcoming Apple Smartwatch and some of it’s benefits, especially dealing with health and fitness issues. But we’re learning there’s more to this smartwatch than medical health.
According to multiple news sources, it’s starting it’s mass production in July 2014, thanks to Quanta Computer Inc.. They’re based in Taiwan. It’s speculated the iWatch will be available to the public in October 2014. It will have ten other sensors or more, including health/wellness. As many as 15 million Apple watches are expected to be shipped by the end of 2014. The screen will probably be about 2.5 inches and will have a touch interface and wireless charging abilities. Sorry, but I can’t find anything on a potential price for this ‘iWatch’.
Keep in mind it’s been four years since Apple came up with it’s last technological revolutionary product. That was the iPad. So in other words, they haven’t come up with a new product since Steve Jobs passed away. I think Tim Cook is under a lot of pressure with this smartwatch. If I were Mr. Cook, I’d want to get this thing out as quickly as possible while making it as flawless as possible. Many experts say we’re heading toward the age of wearable technology. Nike Fuel Brand and other gadgets are quickly becoming darlings of the tech community. It would be nice if Apple would be more specific about these 10+ sensors. I wish they would give us a clue about prices. Do you think Apple’s iWatch is going to be Apple’s next boom or Apple’s embarrassment?
