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Does Smartphone Use = Laziness?

3/6/2015

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New research suggests smartphones are making us cognitively lazy. And, the evidence is still out as to if this will be an issue as we age.

The ubiquitous cellular devices allow us to obtain information without having to retrieve information that is traditionally coded in our brain. Phone numbers, directions, and even recommendations to restaurants are provided with a touch of a finger or upon a voice command.

The study, from researchers at the University of Waterloo and published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, suggests that intuitive thinkers are especially disposed to use a smartphone’s convenient features.

Intuitive thinkers typically rely on gut feelings and instincts when making decisions and frequently use their device’s search engine rather than their own brainpower.

Smartphones allow them to be even lazier than they would otherwise be.

“They may look up information that they actually know or could easily learn, but are unwilling to make the effort to actually think about it,” said Gordon Pennycook, co-lead author of the study, and a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Psychology at Waterloo.

In contrast, analytical thinkers second-guess themselves and analyze a problem in a more logical sort of way. Highly intelligent people are more analytical and less intuitive when solving problems.

“Decades of research has revealed that humans are eager to avoid expending effort when problem-solving and it seems likely that people will increasingly use their smartphones as an extended mind,” said Nathaniel Barr, the other lead author of the paper.

In three studies involving 660 participants, the researchers examined a variety of measures including cognitive style. Investigators reviewed individuals preferred method of information retrieval ranging from intuitive to analytical, and verbal and numeracy skills. Then they looked at the participants’ smartphone habits.

Participants in the study who demonstrated stronger cognitive skills and a greater willingness to think in an analytical way spent less time using their smartphones’ search-engine function.

“Our research provides support for an association between heavy smartphone use and lowered intelligence,” said Pennycook.

“Whether smartphones actually decrease intelligence is still an open question that requires future research.”

The researchers say that avoiding using our own minds to problem-solve might have adverse consequences for aging.

“Our reliance on smartphones and other devices will likely only continue to rise,” said Barr.

“It’s important to understand how smartphones affect and relate to human psychology before these technologies are so fully ingrained that it’s hard to recall what life was like without them. We may already be at that point.”

The results also indicate that use of social media and entertainment applications generally did not correlate to higher or lower cognitive abilities.

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Samsung Unveils the  S6, S6 Edge and  Mobile Payment Solution

3/3/2015

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The Galaxy S6 Edge is notable in that it is the first smartphone to feature a curved display on both sides of the device, constructed from Gorilla Glass 4. Both smartphones have 16-megapixel rear-facing cameras and 5-megapixel front-facing cameras with f/1.9 lenses for improved low-light photos, Auto HDR, optical image stabilization, IR white balance and a "Quick Launch" feature for accessing the camera from any screen in less than one second. 

Samsung's Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge have improved hardware specifications in most areas, each featuring a 5.1-inch 2560×1440 Super AMOLED display at 577 ppi, Exynos 8-core processor, 3GB of RAM up, 32GB to 128GB of internal storage, Category 6 LTE, 802.11/a/c Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, NFC and 2,550 mAh and 2,600 mAh batteries respectively. The devices will run Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box. 
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Exploding iPhone 5c  to blame for severe burns

3/3/2015

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A New York man says his smartphone blew up in his pocket and that he wound up in a hospital.


Erik Johnson of Lindenhurst says his iPhone 5C spontaneously erupted in extreme heat while it was in his pants pocket, giving him second- and third-degree burnson his leg the size of a football.

He was headed to a wake for his cousin in New Jersey on February 14, Johnson said, and he dropped his car keys.

"When I went to bend over, I heard a pop," he told CNN. "I heard a sizzling, and I ended up ripping my pants off to stop it from burning me."

Johnson said he didn't know what was causing the pain at first and there was no warning -- just an extreme burn and a lot of pain. In a panic, he quickly started ripping at his pants as the phone began to melt the edges of his pocket shut, he said.

"I was trying to get it out of my pocket," he said. "It started burning right through my pants. It was burning my leg, and I had to get my pants off somehow."

Johnson's brother, who was with him at the time, decided driving him to the hospital would be faster than dialing 911, Johnson said.

They drove to the Bayonne Medical Center in New Jersey. After being evaluated in the emergency room, Johnson was taken by ambulance to the Burn Center at Staten Island University Hospital. The burn center confirmed to CNN that he spent 10 days there receiving treatment.

"I still can't believe it," Johnson said. "I've never dealt with anything like this before."

He works as an operating engineer in New York City, maintaining escalators, cranes and forklifts.

He said now he is at home with family in Lindenhurst, and a nurse comes in every day to change his bandage.

In the meantime, he said, he hasn't even thought about buying a new phone.

Mike Della, a personal injury lawyer on Long Island who is representing Johnson, says despite two phone calls and a letter, Apple had not yet responded to his queries about why his client's phone suddenly exploded in heat.

CNN reached out to Apple, and the company stated that it is looking into the incident.

Johnson purchased the phone last year and had not been using a battery case or third-party charger, Della said.

"First and foremost, we have to find out how this happened and prevent it from happening ever again," Della told CNN. "That's the whole goal here. Is the product safe?"

Della said because of this case, he now is quick to take extra precautions with his phone.

"Now, every single time I have my iPhone, instead of putting it in my pocket, I put it in the seat next to me because of this case," he said. "My wife does the same thing, and so does everyone else at the (law) firm. It's a little scary."

"You shouldn't have to worry about your phone exploding," he said.

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Seriously – There is an Apple Watch Out There Selling for $75,000

2/27/2015

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Turn On Wi-Fi, More Via Voice on Android Lollipop

2/23/2015

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Google Search just got some handy new voice-control features — for those with a device running Android Lollipop at least.

As Android Police first discovered, you can now enable or disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and the flashlight with just your voice. For instance, just say "OK Google, turn on Bluetooth," and voila. This feature only works on the latest version of Google Search on Lollipop, meaning those with KitKat and older versions of Android are left out of the party for now.

The change comes after Google last year first added support for settings toggles through voice commands. Until now, however, the option has only opened up a shortcut to the corresponding settings panel, meaning you still needed to manually make the change with your finger — not very helpful. The latest update finally makes things work as they should.

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Google Teams up With 3 Wireless Carriers to Combat Apple Pay

2/23/2015

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The counterattack announced Monday is just the latest example of how the competition between Google Inc. and Apple Inc. is extending beyond the technology industry's traditional boundaries. Besides payments, Silicon Valley's two richest companies are expanding into fields such as home appliances and cars to increase their power and profits.

Google's latest volley calls for its payment service to be built into Android smartphones sold by AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA later this year. Smartphone owners currently have to download the service, called Google Wallet, and install the app on their phone if they want to use it to buy something instead of pulling out cash or a credit card.

Apple's rival service, Apple Pay, already comes embedded in the latest versions of the company's mobile software.

Besides trying to make it more convenient to use Wallet, Google also is hoping to improve the nearly 4-year-old service. Toward that end, Google Inc. is buying some mobile payment technology and patents from Softcard, a 5-year-old venture owned by the wireless carriers. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

Although Google and the wireless carriers got a head start with their digital wallets, the concept hadn't gained much traction until Apple Pay debuted last fall.

The service has become more popular than Apple expected, according to a recent presentation by CEO Tim Cook.

Just three months after Apple Pay's November debut, Cook said the service accounted for two out of every three dollars spent across the three major U.S. card networks, when no card was used. About 2,000 banks and credit unions have agreed to offer Apple Pay to its customers. Apple hasn't said how many merchants are set up to handle its mobile payment services.

If Apple builds on that early momentum, the Cupertino, California, company could become the leader in what is expected to be a booming market. Nearly 16 million U.S. consumers spent about $3.5 billion on tap-and-pay services last year, according to the research firm eMarketer. By 2018, eMarketer predicts those figures will rise to 57 million U.S. consumers spending about $118 billion.

Companies that provide mobile wallets make money by collecting processing fees from merchants and banks.

Samsung Electronics, another major smartphone maker, may be ready to join the fray after buying a mobile payment startup called LoopPay. That deal, announced last week, fueled speculation that Samsung will include a digital wallet on its next phone.

Apple Pay's popularity probably helped forge the unlikely alliance between Google and the wireless carriers. Google traditionally has had a prickly relationship with the carriers, largely because it doesn't believe enough has been done to upgrade wireless networks and make them cheaper so more people can spend more time online. Media reports say Google is considering selling its own wireless plans to consumers.

The pre-installation of the Wallet app is similar to what Google already does with its search engine, Gmail and YouTube on millions of other phones running on Android — an operating system that Google has been giving away for years to ensure people keep using its products on mobile devices. Google profits from the traffic by showing ads.

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LG Electronics unveils LG Flex 2 on Sprint

2/21/2015

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The Korean Electronics giant, LG announces the evolution of LG Flex on Sprint in US. The Sprint reported that LG Flex 2 will go on sale on March 13, and the company is welcoming the pre-orders on its official web portal. There are two payment modes available, one is the EMI option with the monthly installment of $12 for two years, while the other one is the full payment option of $504 (nearly Rs. 30,000). The device is listed in Platinum Silver and a Sprint exclusive Volcano Red color variants.

The users of its successor, LG Flex that was launched last year, reported that the devices doesn’t provide a flawless high-end device experience. By taking these reports in the account, LG has improved a lot and removed the weakness in its new LG Flex 2 smartphone.

The device has comparatively smaller screen size, as it boasts 5.5-inch curved full-HD 1080p display with Gorilla Glass 3 and 403 ppi of pixel density. It is also featured with a 13-megapixel of primary image snapper with Optical Image Stabilization+, a dual-LED flash, Knock Code, Glance View, and various more features that helps in capturing decent quality images as it was previously seen in LG Flex. Meanwhile, the smartphone has a 2.1-megapixel for selfies.

Furthermore, it runs on the latest flavor of Android, 5.0 Lollipop supported by  a 2.0GHz Octa-Core 64-Bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with Adreno 430 graphics that is coupled with a 2GB of RAM. As Far storage is concerned the firm has provided 16 GB of internal storage with an expandability option via a microSD card. However, a variant is also available with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage.

Under the hood, the smartphone is packed with a 3000 mAh of gigantic battery that could juice up the “world’s fastest smartphone” for a whole day on standard usage, after getting it fully charged.

The killer curved smartphone measures 149.1 x 75.3 x 7.1-9.4 mm in dimensions. The company has provided various connectivity options in the phone like HSPA+, WiFi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1 (with apt-X audio), NFC, and USB 2.0.

Tech Specs of LG Flex 2

  • 5.5-inch curved full-HD 1080p display
  • 13 MP rear and 2.1 MP front facing camera
  • a 2.0GHz Octa-Core 64-Bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor
  • Adreno 430 graphics
  • 2GB or 3GB RAM
  • 16GB or 32GB of internal storage
  • 3000 mAH of battery
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A123 sues Apple, says it poached battery engineers

2/21/2015

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Samsung Buying Mobile-Pay Co. in Bid to Challenge Apple Pay

2/18/2015

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Samsung is buying mobile-payment startup LoopPay as the Korean phone maker steps up to challenge Apple and its payment system on iPhones.

The deal strengthens speculation that Samsung Electronics Co. plans to include mobile-payment technology in its next major phone, which is expected to be announced March 1 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Launched a year ago, LoopPay works by reproducing the signals from a credit card's magnetic swipe as users tap a LoopPay device next to a retailer's card reader. That means LoopPay should work with most retailers' existing payment terminals.

Most other mobile-payment systems, including Apple Inc.'s Apple Pay, require newer terminals with wireless chips called near-field communication, or NFC. That limits the number of retailers that can accept such payments.

But LoopPay has had trouble with some older readers; restaurants and bars often couldn't process LoopPay transactions due to a variety of hardware and software issues. It also doesn't work with transit fares, parking meters and other machines that require the customer to fully insert a card, like a bank ATM.

Plus, it's not clear what will happen when merchants hit an October deadline for accepting cards with stronger security known as EMV, as LoopPay offers only the basic magnetic signals. NFC and Apple Pay equipment is newer and enabled for EMV. LoopPay is more of a retrofit — for a system being phased out.

Nonetheless, Samsung sees enough potential to buy the company. LoopPay estimates that its system works with 90 percent of merchants. Although there are more than 200,000 payment terminals in the U.S. that can accept NFC, that's out of several million.

"Our goal has always been to build the smartest, most secure, user-friendly mobile wallet experience, and we are delighted to welcome LoopPay to take us closer to this goal," said JK Shin, head of Samsung's mobile division.

David Eun, executive vice president at Samsung's Global Innovation Center, said the deal will help Samsung "significantly accelerate our mobile commerce efforts."

The companies didn't disclose financial terms or say when the transaction will close. LoopPay will continue to operate in Boston as a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung.

So far, LoopPay has been available as accessories for iPhones and Android devices. Ownership by Samsung raises the prospect of shipping phones with LoopPay built in, a move that would expand the service's reach. The companies didn't say whether they will continue making the LoopPay accessories for non-Samsung devices.

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Kaspersky Lab researchers reveal hidden NSA spyware on hard drives

2/17/2015

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Is our cybersecurity as a populace in the United States safe?

According to the Moscow-based security software maker, Kaspersky Lab, Americans may have another reason to not trust their government. The company recently revealed that the U.S. National Security Agency, or NSA, has developed a method to disguise and hide spying software deep within hard drives made by Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba, IBM, Samsung, and other top manufacturers. With this, the agency can now eavesdrop on the majority of the world's computers according to The Huffington Post.


One or more of the NSA spying programs infect personal computers in about 30 countries. Infections are diagnosed as taking place in Algeria, Yemen, Mali, Syria, China, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Russia, with the most originating out of Iran. According to Kaspersky, targets are mostly Islamic activists, media, government and military institutions, energy companies, nuclear researchers and banks.

Kaspersky has gone on record saying that the NSA could "conduct surveillance on the majority of the world's computers." Kaspersky also reports that it found a series of different backdoors and detected the variants throughout different countries around the globe. Although the Moscow-based firm does not explicitly name the NSA, the software used is linked to Stuxnet — a worm developed by the NSA. A former NSA employee confirmed to Reuters that it "had developed the prized technique of concealing spyware in hard drives."

A collective known as The Equation Group has been called the authors of the backdoors utilized in hard drives. Meanwhile, the NSA has refused to comment on its alleged activities. To break down just how The Equation Group's backdoors work, consider this: Backdoors rely on malicious software in the firmware of hard drives, which prompt every time a computer boots. Kaspersky claims that the software represents a "technological breakthrough" which allows it to "infect the computer over and over again" and would have required access to proprietary source code to develop.

The firm has published its research, which you can read for yourself here, and the infected institutions are hoping to use this information to discover the malignant spyware on their networks. The secret project is said to have been going on since 2001, so you can imagine how many hard drives have been affected. With that said, researchers are claiming that those operating the backdoors have been highly selective and "only established full remote control over machines belonging to the most desirable foreign targets."

So, that means unless you're a top scientist with premium access to launch codes or a radical activist, you're probably not on anyone's radar...for now.



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    Nathan Scheuerlein
    Smart Phone Technician

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