Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » juin 25, 2014

BetaNews.Com (16 non lus)

Google brings the marriage of Chrome OS and Android closer

Publié: juin 25, 2014, 11:17pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

Ever since Google released its two operating systems -- the one for computers and the one for phones and tablets -- users have talked of a merger of the two. So far that hasn't happened, and at Google I/O today it still didn't. But things got a bit cozier.

The company unveiled closer integration between the two platforms, bringing phone notifications to your computer. Is your phone ringing? Your Chromebook will popup a notice telling you who it is. Got a text message? That too will appear on your notebook. In fact, Chromebooks will even notify you of low battery life on your mobile device, letting you know it's time to charge it.

A subset of Android apps will also be capable of running on the Chrome OS -- "At I/O, we demoed the App Runtime for Chrome Platform by highlighting a select group of Android apps that will be coming to Chrome later this year. We’ll be rolling this out soon, and we hope to expand to enable more mobile apps for our users in the future", the company says.

All of this is brought about through Google Now, which has previously been a part of both operating systems. It seems likely that it will also find its way into Android TV as well, though that is further down the road.
Google revs up Android Auto, its Apple CarPlay rival

Publié: juin 25, 2014, 9:53pm CEST par Wayne Williams

As expected, one of the big new announcements at Google’s I/O conference was Android Auto which takes Google’s mobile operating system into vehicles.

Android Auto runs on your smartphone but the apps and features are mirrored and can be controlled through a touchscreen in the vehicle. The car-specific interface is a simplified version of the forthcoming (and unnamed) Android L release, with larger less distracting 'touch targets'.

You can interact with Android Auto by touch, through in-car controls, or voice -- all of which makes it a lot safer than fumbling about with your phone when you get a text message -- and the platform can be used to control navigation, music and messaging.

Like Google Now it uses contextual awareness to display information you might want to know at just the right time -- such as reminders when you get close to work or home. And because it’s all linked to your phone, you’ll get these reminders whether you’re inside or outside the vehicle.

Google says the Android Auto SDK will be made available to developers "soon" and the company has lined up 28 automakers and tech companies, including Fiat, Volvo, Volkswagen, Audi, Nissan and Mitsubishi, as part of the Open Automotive Alliance. The first compatible vehicles are expected to roll off the production line this fall.

Apple announced its own similar in-car system, CarPlay, four months ago. It will be interesting to see how the two competing platforms do and does beg the question if you switch from an iPhone to an Android, or vice versa, will you need to change cars? Or choose a vehicle based on your smartphone preference? Although there's been no word yet, I'd expect to see car makers opt to simply incorporate both systems in future vehicles.
Google brings out the big guns -- unlimited storage for $10 per month and Office editing

Publié: juin 25, 2014, 9:25pm CEST par Mark Wilson

At I/O 2014 Google announced that more cloud storage will be made available to space hungry users. Google Drive for Work has a price tag of $10 per month and includes not just more cloud storage, but unlimited cloud storage. Well, there is one limitation; individual files cannot exceed 5TB, but this is, for all intents and purposes, a deal that is unlimited by most people's understanding of the word. As the name suggests, this is a product that is aimed at businesses, but at this price it is hard to imagine that there won’t be swathes of home users looking to take advantage of the package.

A few months back, Google slashed the cost of its cloud storage packages, but today's news is something quite different. Worries about security may be allayed by the news that Drive, Gmail and Calendar data will be encrypted at data centers. IT admins will also be able to audit and control options, that means internal security policies can be implemented as required.

The Drive storage announcement from Google comes just after Microsoft increased the amount of free storage provided to OneDrive users, as well as bundling 1TB of cloud storage with Office 365. But Google is also trying to lure Office users away from the grips of Microsoft. Slides is Google's take on PowerPoint, but the big news for Google Docs users is support for editing Office documents.

This is big news for home users and businesses alike. In a direct attack on Office Online, Google is giving users the ability to edit Word and other Office documents online free of charge. New files can be saved in Word format, addressing one of the biggest limitations of Google Docs -- and bringing Quickoffice to Chrome will help to create a new online experience for users. This is Google wrestling back control of the web and the workplace.

Photo Credits: l i g h t p o e t/Shutterstock
Microsoft brings Bing Rewards to Windows Phone

Publié: juin 25, 2014, 7:15pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

Some people say Google is better than Bing, and maybe they are right. However, that is a subjective statement. What they really mean to say is that Google is better for them. In reality they are both great search engines with different pros and cons. My favorite aspect of Microsoft's search engine is Bing Rewards -- a program that rewards users for searching. Hell, if you are searching anyways, why not get rewarded?

Sadly, Microsoft released a Bing Rewards app for Android and iOS, but not its own Windows Phone platform. This was hugely disappointing for users of Microsoft's mobile operating system, including myself. Today, Microsoft levels the playing field and makes it available for Windows Phone too.

"This new app is something special we’re launching for users in the Windows Phone community. Set the app as a Live Tile to monitor credits and the status of your search and earn offer. Easily access your dashboard to see all your offers, manage your account, earn and redeem credits, enter sweepstakes and more", says Alex Danskin, Bing Rewards Team.

Dasnskin further explains, "Bing Rewards was designed to help you discover ways Bing can help you do the things that are most important to you. You can earn credits by searching the web every day with Bing and then redeem them for apps and games purchases at the Windows Store on your Windows 8.1 PC or Windows Phone 8. You can also redeem for popular gift cards from top brands or donate your credits to a local school or charity of your choice. Choose among rewards from Amazon.com, Starbucks, Xbox, Fandango and more. All you have to do is stay signed-in and keep searching with Bing".

What makes the app stand apart from its Android and iOS counterparts is the Live Tile support. Yes, the Bing Rewards app takes advantage of Microsoft's revolutionary UI. This will allow users to see their earned credits without having to open the app -- awesome.

Windows Phone users can download the app here. Tell me how you like it in the comments.
Aereo's Supreme Court loss proves Washington has no business making decisions on technology

Publié: juin 25, 2014, 5:51pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

We've seen this before. Washington DC proving time and again its lack of knowledge about the modern technological world. We witnessed it when Ted Stephens, in a speech to congress, famously referred to the internet as "a series of tubes". Most recently, we've had to deal with the FCC looking to put an end to Net Neutrality -- see John Oliver's description for the best explanation on that. The latter is more likely less about knowledge and more about being in the pockets of cable company lobbyists.

Now the latest blow has been dealt. The Supreme Court has handed down its decision on Aereo. If you aren't familiar, Aereo is, or perhaps was, a TV provider which was moving into various cities around the US. If it was in your market, you could "rent" an antenna which picked up over-the-air (OTA) broadcasts. The company then retransmitted this to the customer via an internet connection. Each customer rented his or her own dime-sized antenna.

The 6-3 decision, which can be read in a 35 page PDF document, begins by citing the 1976 copyright act. The minority vote found Aereo's arguments valid -- that it acts as a cable provider. However the differences helped sway the ruling. Chiefly that, while cable is a continuous broadcast, Aereo is activated only when a subscriber wishes to watch a show. "The systems in those cases transmitted constantly, whereas Aereo's system remains inert until a subscriber indicates that she wants to watch a program", the ruling reads.

Aereo has been in court almost since it launched, arguing that it was protected under the precedent from a 2008 case regarding cloud DVR services -- something also operated by PlayOn without legal incident.

The ruling, handed down by Justice Steven Breyer, is a major blow to Aereo and may, in all likelihood, put the company out of business. It also goes a long way towards showing what the government lacks in technical knowledge, as many expected Aereo to prevail. We will await further updates for now -- the ruling has only just been announced.

Photo Credit: Livestockimages/Shutterstock
Web-based analytics delivers intelligence on DDoS attacks

Publié: juin 25, 2014, 4:32pm CEST par Ian Barker

In recent days we've seen DDoS attacks hit some major names like Feedly and even force the CodeSpaces hosting service out of business.

In a bid to combat the threat presented by DDoS attacks, security specialist Corero Network Security has announced a powerful web-based analytics portal.

Corero SecureWatch Analytics delivers turn-key visibility into DDoS attacks and cyber threats with comprehensive and easy-to-read security dashboards. Using Splunk software for big data analytics and advanced visualization, Corero has made security intelligence much more accessible and easier to act on. This means that companies are able to react to threats much more quickly.

"Extracting meaningful information from volumes of raw security events has been a virtual impossibility for all but the largest enterprises with dedicated security analysts. Corero SecureWatch Analytics provides this capability in a turn-key fashion to enterprises of all sizes," says Nirav Shah, Director of Product Management at Corero Network Security. "Big data analytics engines are empowered by valuable raw data. By combining sophisticated event data generated by our industry leading First Line of Defense security appliances with the Splunk platform, we have created a solution that quickly finds the needles in the haystack of security events".

The portal's real-time dashboards provide easy-to-use visibility into an enterprise's network and security activity enabling rapid response in combating threats. Additionally, SecureWatch Analytics supports archived security event data to allow forensic analysis of past threats and compliance reporting of security activity.

SecureWatch Analytics is included with the purchase of Corero's SmartWall Threat Defense System and DDoS Defense System security products. For more information visit the Corero website.

Photo Credit: Duc Dao / Shutterstock
What happens now that phones can see?

Publié: juin 25, 2014, 3:54pm CEST par Julian Green

Photos give us a window to the world -- our own experiences can only show us so much. Photos give us a richness of experience and perspective that we would otherwise be devoid of. The sudden existence of billions of smart phones, which take trillions of photos and videos per year, has given us the biggest increase we’ve seen yet in rich user data -- and now we have the technology to start to make sense of that data.

With this new technology, it’s now possible to analyze photos for myriad applications. For example, at Jetpac we use 100s of millions of travel photos shared on Instagram to develop the Jetpac City Guides app, and do object recognition on the photos to be able to recommend places such as restaurants with patios (from the blue skies in the photos), hipster bars (by the unusually high number of mustaches we spot in photos), and the best coffee shops (from the highest proportion of latte art in photos). We've also now developed deep learning AI technology to broaden our ability to be able to recognize all objects in photos. Putting deep learning on the iPhone (Spotter by Jetpac) means we can now recognize many objects from the iPhone's real-time video feed, locally on the phone. Having minimized the technology significantly, we also have room to allow you to train the phone to recognize a specific object (Deep Belief by Jetpac).

It's worth taking a moment to marvel that computer vision algorithms have come a long way, and what was previously the province of super computers, is now being done on your smart phone, in milliseconds, in the palm of your hand.

Now, it's no human intellect, but for the first time, the phone can "see" -- and it can also handle the massive amount of data it consumes. It can not only place a phone call, send a text or like your grandma’s status update, but phones can also make sense of what they are looking at by recognizing objects and scenes. Check out the amazing capabilities this gives us:

Photo/video tagging and search

Have you ever scrolled through your photos on your phone, looking for a particular one? Every wanted to be able to search for "the one with me and my sister next to the tree by the beach"? Instead of scrolling through endless selfies and photos of cats, you can now use tags for all your photos, describing what’s in them, and enable a targeted search. Film and TV companies will now be able to search through their movie archives for the frame with the shark tornado in it. Private investigators will be able to remember whether it was the ballroom they saw the candlestick in.

Automatic camera filters/settings

Alongside the existing smartphone camera sensors and settings, imagine having a particular set of default settings if the phone recognizes that the scene is a ski slope, a beach or a nightclub? With real-time recognition of the video stream coming through the camera before the shutter button is pressed, the phone would be ready for the conditions before you.

Automatic home security alerts

Cameras on phones can certainly take killer photos, but they can also do much more than that. They can take your pulse, give you an impromptu flashlight and they can even protect your home. Want to lock your cat flap against raccoons, or even cats other than yours? With Spotter and Deep Belief on even lower-end devices like the Raspberry Pi, you can avoid having to duct tape your iPhone to the back door, and throw a cheap device with a battery at the problem of recognizing which animal this way comes. It wouldn't even need to be networked.

Mobile Search and Rescue

Phones don’t have a corner on the market of device visibility. Internet of Things devices, robots and drones also share similar vision-wielding capacities. People who have trouble moving around their houses could send a robot to look for their car keys. Drones could look for that missing cow in a farmer's field. As some media outlets have shown ad nauseam, satellites could figure out with parts of the ocean had possible matches for missing airplane debris.

Hard-to-identify objects

Ever looked at food in a foreign market and wondered what it is? Ever wanted to tell your kids what kind of bird is chirping from the tree? Want to know the breed of dog that is looking for a home at the dog shelter? Ever wondered if a plant that your child just rolled over was poison oak? Well with the power of object recognition, you could figure out if your child needs some calamine lotion.

We live in a visual world, and the amount of image data we have access to is exploding. Now that the phone can see, and technology like Jetpac's can help us make sense of image data, we're going to be able to make a lot more sense of our world.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for other applications of the technology.

Photo Credits: Maksim Kabakou/Shutterstock

Julian Green is the co-founder and CEO of Jetpac, the company behind the Webby Award-winning Jetpac City Guides, Spotter by Jetpac and Deep Belief by Jetpac apps. He is a serial entrepreneur who also co-founded Houzz and is a leading authority on mobile, social and ecommerce. Follow him on Twitter: @juliangreensf.
CCleaner optimizes memory usage, adds support for forthcoming Chrome 64-bit browser

Publié: juin 25, 2014, 3:54pm CEST par Nick Peers

As the month draws to a close, Piriform issues its regular update to its freeware Windows cleaning utility with the releases of CCleaner 4.15 and CCleaner Portable 4.15.

Highlights in the latest release include support for the forthcoming 64-bit build of Google Chrome, plus an improved secure wipe algorithm as well as memory and architecture optimizations.

Following on from the recent pre-release versions of Chrome 64-bit, CCleaner has been updated to work with the new iteration of the browser ahead of its final release. In addition to this, version 4.15 has also added support for the niche Yandex browser.

In addition to Yandex, version 4.15 also extends its third-party support to SnagIt 12, Format Factory, Nitro PDF Reader and Virtual DJ.

The new release also promises improved memory usage and management architecture, which should translate into better performance.

The Wipe Free Space algorithm, used to securely shred previously deleted data from drives, has also been enhanced with the new release, presumably to make it harder to retrieve the shredded data.

The update is completed by the usual unspecified round of bug fixes, updated translations and minor GUI tweaks, one of which is the addition of social media buttons to the program’s Options > About page.

CCleaner 4.15 and CCleaner Portable 4.15 are available now as freeware downloads for PCs running Windows XP or later. A Professional version offering additional features including real-time monitoring and complete system cleaning is available for $24.95.
27 percent of websites aren't configured for smartphone searches

Publié: juin 25, 2014, 3:23pm CEST par Ian Barker

A new report from SEO and content marketing specialist BrightEdge reveals that although almost 60 percent of American adults own smartphones and 40 percent own tablets, more than a quarter of websites aren’t mobile friendly.

This leads to a massive loss of potential traffic and if marketers rectify this misconfiguration, the report discovered they stand to boost smartphone traffic by 200 percent.

"With smartphone website traffic growing at 10 times the rate of desktop, mobile websites are quickly becoming the cornerstone to content marketing and customer engagement," says Jim Yu, CEO and founder of BrightEdge. "We know that mobile will play an integral role in the future of marketing and want to help brands navigate the challenges that mobile presents. This report will help businesses understand the best ways to create mobile-optimized sites in terms of traffic and search rank, boosting customer engagement and, more importantly, ROI".

The report also shows the differences between desktop and mobile. It reveals that 62 percent of searches show different results depending on whether the search was performed on a desktop or smartphone and mobile ranks are typically half a position lower than desktop. Since click-through rates are sensitive to rank this can lead to a significant drop in traffic.

With smartphone traffic expected to grow by 50 percent in 2014 companies need to ensure that they pay attention to the performance of their sites on mobile devices. BrightEdge identifies three different approaches to providing mobile sites.

Responsive sites deliver the same content across all devices with only the presentation changing. Dynamic sites vary the HTML according to the device used although the URL remains the same, however, the report warns that if not well implemented this can look like the type of 'cloaking' used by malicious sites. The final approach is to have completely separate desktop and mobile versions of the site.

The report concludes, "As enterprises cater to the growing mobile market, BrightEdge data shows that all three approaches to mobile website configuration rank about the same for a given keyword if implemented correctly. We believe many brands will take on responsive design as their choice of mobile configuration, but what we've found in talking with customers is that one mobile configuration is not necessarily a one-size-fits-all solution".

You can find out more and download the report from the BrightEdge website.

Image Credit: bloomua / Shutterstock
Want a free Surface Pro 3? Win one by using Skype!

Publié: juin 25, 2014, 3:05pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

The Surface Pro 3 is an amazing computer -- one that I highly recommend. It can be your full-time laptop, tablet and desktop too. Yes, there are less expensive computers, but if you can afford it, don't you deserve it? Unfortunately, in these tough economic times, not everyone can afford a new computer. Between utility bills and the rising cost of gasoline for your car, there is not as much money to go around. College students in particular are aware of these woes, struggling to afford the high costs of education, while eating ramen soup.

Luckily, it seems Microsoft understands these issues and wants you to have a Surface Pro 3 anyway. No, the company isn't just giving them away -- the tech giant is having a sweepstakes in conjunction with Skype and you can possibly win one. Interested? Read on.

Every week during the month of June, if you make at least three calls from your Skype account to a cellphone or landline, you can win a Surface Pro 3. But wait, today is June 25, it is almost over, right? Exactly. Apparently, this is the final week of the contest, and there is only one prize remaining to win, so you had better act fast.

Besides making the calls, you must complete the entry form by clicking here. The prize is the Core i3 64GB variant. While not the top model, it is certainly powerful enough, and most users would be in computing nirvana.

Tell me what you will do with Surface Pro 3 if you win in the comments.
Watch the Google I/O 2014 keynote here

Publié: juin 25, 2014, 2:22pm CEST par Wayne Williams

It's a big day for Google as the search giant's annual developer conference kicks off with what promises to be a very exciting keynote.

So what can we expect Google to unveil later today? Well it’s a good bet we’ll be treated to news of Android 5.0 Lollipop (or some other sweet beginning with L -- Liquorice, Lemon Meringue Pie, Lion Bar, or Lifesavers are possibilities too). Hardware that might be announced include a new Nexus 10, the Nexus 8, Google Android Wear watches, Google Project Tango tablets, the modular Project Ara smartphone, the Google Auto Link in-car system, and a set top box to rival Apple TV.

If you haven’t got an invite to attend the event at the San Francisco's Moscone Center West, or you’ve got something else going on -- like work, for example -- don’t worry. As always you’ll be able to watch events unfold here.

The keynote begins at 9am PDT/12pm EDT/5pm BST. It's scheduled to run for two hours, but don't be surprised if it goes on a bit longer than that.

You can also catch up on Google I/O on the events page. Or download the official Android app which will let you watch the live stream on the go.

What are you expecting/hoping to see announced today?
Acronis True Image for Mac launches, offers local and cloud-based drive imaging

Publié: juin 25, 2014, 2:15pm CEST par Nick Peers

Backup specialist Acronis has unveiled Acronis True Image for Mac 1.0, a brand new build of its well-known drive imaging software for Macs running OS X 10.8 or later.

The new release is described by Acronis as offering "dual-protection data backup" for Mac, a reference to its ability to back up to both local drives -- including network attached devices -- and the cloud through its own Acronis Cloud service.

As the name implies, True Image takes full disk backups known as "images" of the user’s Mac, although it’s worth noting it’s not currently compatible with Macs set up to dual-boot with Windows using the Bootcamp environment. It will, however, back up machines running virtual environments including Parallels Desktop 9.

Users are invited to download a free 30-day trial, which is accompanied by 30 days free access to the Acronis Cloud service, with 250GB on offer. The system drive is pre-selected for backup by default, but users can choose to back up any attached hard drive using the software. They then select a destination -- local and network-attached storage are supported (including drives not specifically supported by Time Machine), along with the Acronis Cloud option.

By default, a fresh backup is taken once a week, with up to 10 incremental backups kept to prevent excessive use of disk space. Users can change the schedule by clicking Settings, and are also encouraged to create bootable rescue media using the system in case of hardware disaster.

When restoring data, users can opt to recover an entire drive image -- typically after a major issue or when migrating to a new machine -- or select individual files and folders to restore.

Acronis admits that -- in addition to Bootcamp -- systems with Fusion drive, File Vault 2 and HFS+ encrypted systems aren’t currently supported. Support for these configurations is planned for a future release before the end of the year.

Acronis True Image for Mac 1.0 is available now as a free 30-day trial download for Macs running OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) or later. The full version costs $49.99 for one Mac, or $79,99 for three, while a 12-month 250GB subscription to Acronis Cloud costs an additional $49.99. Other subscriptions are also available.
Windows Phones are easier to make, so new vendors jump on board

Publié: juin 25, 2014, 1:43pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

Microsoft has realized that the only way to get more vendors to embrace Windows Phone is to make it easier for them to release Windows Phones. And that decision is paying off if its most-recent partnerships are of any indication.

Allview and Hisense, two vendors that target specific markets using low-cost devices, are now supporting the platform. The former, a Romanian company, has unveiled two new Windows Phones while the latter, which is based in China, has teased its newfound affinity for the tiled smartphone operating system on microblogging site Sina Weibo.

Microsoft made it possible for such vendors to jump on the bandwagon by dumping the ineffective Windows Phone licensing fee, adding new tools for companies to leverage, and lowering the minimum requirements by ditching the camera shutter button as well as the physical (capacitive) navigation buttons from the list. That means less expensive offerings, more vendor-friendliness and the ability to repackage Android smartphones as Windows Phones.

Since Allview has something concrete to release on the market, let's take a look at its upcoming Windows Phones. They are called Impera i and Impera S, and are now available to pre-order in Romania (and probably other markets) for RON 699 (roughly $216) and RON 749 (roughly $232), respectively (both prices include 24 percent VAT). Both are dual-SIM enabled.

Impera i highlights: 4.7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 720 by 1280; quad-core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor; 1 GB of RAM; 1,750 mAh battery; 8 MP main camera with LED flash; 2 MP secondary camera; 8 GB of internal storage; microSD card slot; HSPA+ cellular connectivity; Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.0; physical dimensions of 135.8 x 67.2 x 7.2 mm and weight of 98.9 grams. It runs Windows Phone 8.1.

Impera S highlights (pictured at the top): 5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 720 by 1280; quad-core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor; 1 GB of RAM; 1,750 mAh battery; 8 MP main camera with LED flash; 2 MP secondary camera; 8 GB of internal storage; microSD card slot; HSPA+ cellular connectivity; Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n; Bluetooth 4.0; physical dimensions of 144.85 x 72.1 x 8.75 mm and weight of 156.2 grams. It also runs Windows Phone 8.1.

In the Windows Phone market, Allview's new handsets will go up against devices like Nokia's Lumia 630, which is also available in a dual-SIM version but can be had for less money (it, however, has half the RAM capacity). Needless to say, there already are a bunch of comparable Android smartphone available at similar prices, which consumers will consider.
ID stealing cloned banking app found on Play Store

Publié: juin 25, 2014, 1:19pm CEST par Ian Barker

A cloned banking app which steals user login credentials has been discovered on the Play Store this week. Mobile security company Lookout discovered the app and informed Google which immediately removed it.

The malware, called BankMirage, targets the customers of an Israeli bank called Mizrahi Bank -- the fourth largest in the country. The authors of the app placed a wrapper around the bank's legitimate app and redistributed it on the Google Play store, pretending to be the financial institution.

Once opened the app displays a login form which siphons off the user's ID as it's entered in a classic phishing attack. Oddly though it captures only the ID and not the password. Once it has the ID the app returns a message to the user saying that the login failed and to, instead, reinstall the legitimate banking app from the Play Store.

Banking malware is, so far, less common in the US than it is in Europe and the Far East. Korean malware PlayBanker, for example, pretends to be Google Play and sends out push notifications to lure victims into downloading rogue banking apps. Another piece of malware, BankUn, will check for the presence of eight major, legitimate Korean banking apps and then attempts to replace them with rogue ones.

The problem with an app finding its way onto the Play Store is that turning off Unknown Sources on your phone isn't going to protect you. Lookout recommends that you be wary if apps you want to download have duplicates as this may indicate illegitimate copies, and that you have an up to date app scanner on your device.

Image Credit: mama_mia / Shutterstock
Survey highlights need for wireless security to keep pace with today's mobile technology

Publié: juin 25, 2014, 12:56pm CEST par Paul Prendergast

Inhance Technology commissioned iReach Insights to conduct a comparative survey of 2,000 mobile users in the US and UK; the surprise was not so much the differences but similarities in attitudes.

The headline story is that US users (27 percent) are more worried than 12 months ago than their UK counterparts (21 percent) about being mugged for their device. However, from a mobile security perspective, the more interesting data is contained in the body of the research.

The study emphasises that these days users’ lives are very much wrapped up in the content of their device. This reveals not only consumer attitudes to buying wireless security warranties but the age group and gender most interested.

Despite the high cost of today’s sophisticated smartphones and tablets, three quarters of US consumers believe that the content on their mobile device is as valuable as the phone or tablet itself. US females (77 percent) in particular value their content more than males (72 percent). And a significant 80 percent of those aged 18-34 and 35-54 believe that content is as important as the device itself.

There are two implications of this for the industry. 1) With the right product retailers and providers are pushing an open door in terms of the added-value warranty sale and 2) The days of selling a warranty that covers the device only and not content are numbered.

In many cases retailers are still offering outdated warranties, which were relevant to the entry-level function phone -- not to today’s extra-smart devices. Basic warranties have not kept pace with technology advances or indeed consumer needs.

Table A shows that US consumers are almost equally as worried about their content falling into the wrong hands (29 percent) as they are about the replacement cost (30 percent). 70 percent have worries other than replacement cost, which reflects the fact that they are carrying their lives in their pocket from sensitive email to contact information and critical ID data.

Table A:

The research finds that over half (52 percent) of US consumers are more likely to buy mobile device insurance if it includes an app to protect content. And almost a quarter (24 percent) are much more likely to buy insurance if it includes this option. It is significant from an industry perspective that 62 percent of young adults (18-34) are most likely to buy mobile device insurance if it includes a security app. See Table B.

Table B:

The survey suggests that users are increasingly open to advanced warranty programs. Next generation warranties provide users with the ability to immediately lock the device (including by sending an SMS from a friend’s phone), locate the device in real-time, capture a picture of the potential thief, sound an alarm to deter a potential thief, wipe important data plus incorporate malware protection and back-up of contacts.

There are benefits too for the retailer and carrier in providing advanced warranty programs. For example, next generation warranties have been shown to boost consumer loyalty and reduce churn. They also include back office facilities that help to combat fraud.

The research is good news for those providers that can adapt to the wishes of today’s smart consumer.

Photo Credits: Slavoljub Pantelic/Shutterstock

Paul Prendergast is CEO and co-founder of wireless warranty specialist Inhance Technology (www.inhancetechnology.com).
Google announces better Glass, new Glassware

Publié: juin 25, 2014, 12:43pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

Following feedback received from early adopters (known as Explorers), Google has announced a significantly revised Glass wearable. But, unlike prior iterations, it looks like this one will not be available as a free-of-charge upgrade for current users, who will now have to pay full price to get the latest and greatest.

The improved Google Glass is touted to offer better performance courtesy of a RAM capacity increase to 2 GB, which is 1 GB more than before (prior versions only allowed 682 MB of RAM to be effectively used, making the difference quite substantial). There are also more Google Now cards available, which will display extra information like shipping delivery estimates and car location.

The "OK Glass, show the viewfinder" voice command triggers the new camera viewfinder, which makes it easy to frame shots and get the composition you want. Taking a picture is done as before, by saying "OK Glass, take a picture", winking or pressing the camera button.

As far as Glassware (Google Glass software) goes, there are a dozen or so new apps making their way to the wearable. New additions include personal trainer Runtastic, newspaper The Guardian, game Zombies, Run!, music recognition Shazam and lyric finder MusicXmatch.

Google Glass users responding to the Google+ post announcing the revised model have expressed their disappointment regarding the search giant's decision not to give them a free upgrade, mention how to trade-in an older model for the latest one, and keep the device out of the price reach of many.