Mobile

Tue
03
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

Nokia's 'Here Auto' Connects Cars with the Cloud

Nokia is looking to connect automobile drivers with the 'cloud' through a program called "Here Auto", a new in-car navigation platform designed to provide users with real-time navigation data. Nokia says Here Auto is a dynamic tool that ... automatically adapts to the location of a driver. For example, if a driver is navigating city streets, the map they see is close to the ground, thereby displaying local parking lots, restaurants, side streets, and other important details. System Adjusts to Driver Location However, if the driver exits the city and heads out on an interstate highway, they'll be ... (view more)

Tue
13
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

Baby App Makers Accused of Misleading Parents

Fisher Price has been accused of producing misleading advertisements for 'educational' applications aimed at children. The allegations come from the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC). It has filed formal complaints with the Federal ... Trade Commission (FTC) against Fisher Price and Open Solutions. The CCFC says Fisher Price claims its 'Laugh and Learn' range of apps can help young children advance their math and language skills. Open Solutions makes similar claims about apps featuring reading and spelling challenges. According to the CCFC, "neither company offers any evidence to ... (view more)

Mon
12
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

KeyMe App Makes a Backup of Your House Keys

We've all lost our keys at some point or another. But now there's a way to avoid having the locksmith make a house call: KeyMe, a new app that stores an image of a physical key. The image can then be used to create a new key at the local locksmith. ... The app requires the user take a photograph of the front and back of their key using the camera on their mobile device. Photographs must be taken within four inches of the key or the backup won't work properly. Once acceptable photographs have been taken, KeyMe stores them in the cloud. It then calculates the key type and the corresponding serial ... (view more)

Mon
22
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

Text Message Tricks Phones Into Giving Up Your Info

A security researcher says hundreds of millions of mobile phones could easily be hacked with nothing more than a specially crafted text message. The hacker could then intercept calls or use the compromised phone to make cash. Karsten Nohl says the ... problem is with SIM cards, which are used to tell a phone which account to use and the number on which to send and receive calls and messages. He says many SIM cards still use an outdated algorithm for encryption to stop other people accessing information about the account. (Source: srlabs.de ) Nohl says his testing found a major flaw with these SIM ... (view more)

Thu
18
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

Survey Reveals America's Smartphone Addiction

What's the extent of America's addiction to smartphones? A recent study shows that most Americans keep a smartphone nearby, while nearly one in ten have used such a device during intimate encounters. The study, which is being called the '2013 Mobile ... Consumer Habits Survey', was carried out by Harris Interactive on behalf of mobile credit card validation company Jumio. The survey included more than 2,000 people from the United States (of which 1,102 were actual smartphone owners) and was carried out in mid-June 2013. (Source: latimes.com ) Most Smartphone Users Keep Their Device Nearby -- All ... (view more)

Mon
15
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

Retailers Clearing Out BlackBerry Z10 Smartphone

Despite fresh hardware designs and a completely new mobile operating system , Canadian smartphone company BlackBerry is still having trouble selling its devices south of the 49th parallel. That's why several retailers have now drastically reduced ... the price of the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone. According to reports, Amazon.com and major electronics retailer Best Buy have both slashed the price of the BlackBerry Z10 -- a touchscreen device that resembles the iPhone -- to $49 with a two-year contract. The device, which went on sale just four months ago, originally cost $199 with a contract. ( ... (view more)

Thu
20
Jun
Dennis Faas's picture

'DriveSync' Device Tracks Vehicle Location, Speed

Waterloo, Ontario-based Intelligent Mechatronic Systems (IMS) and BlackBerry recently took the stage at the Telematics Detroit conference. Their focus: showing people how they plan to bring a new generation of high-tech tools to the 'connected' car. ... IMS' major unveiling involved its 'DriveSync' device, which effectively turns any car into a connected car. 'Black Box' Tracks Driver Behavior How so? IMS' DriveSync involves a driver connecting a small black box to a vehicle's on-board diagnostics systems. From there, the device gathers critical information, including vehicle location, speed, ... (view more)

Tue
28
May
Dennis Faas's picture

'Kevo' Lock Replaces Door Keys with Smartphone

Lockset manufacturer Kwikset has introduced a keyless front door entry system. Called Kevo, the two-part system connects a mechanical door lock with a smartphone app for easy access. Once an individual has changed over their current deadbolt to the ... one provided by Kevo (a process that takes about 5 minutes to complete), they program their smartphone app to create an administrator account. From there, the owner can sync the phones of other family members to the Kevo deadbolt, granting them access to the front door. Users Tap Smartphone for Access Anyone who has an administrator account can ... (view more)

Fri
24
May
Dennis Faas's picture

QNX Displaces Windows 8 Inside the 'Connected' Car

A recent study by Gartner found that Microsoft's Windows Phone mobile platform has now surpassed BlackBerry in smartphone market share. But there's hope yet for the Waterloo, Ontario-based firm: the company is rapidly preparing itself to take ... advantage of the 'connected' car revolution. It's expected that BlackBerry's mobile operating system, QNX, will be the key to connecting drivers' smartphones to their in-car infotainment systems. Inside the Car: QNX Eclipsing Windows QNX is slowly but steadily taking over as the dominant platform for connecting mobile devices to a vehicle. The reason: ... (view more)

Wed
22
May
Dennis Faas's picture

Apple's Smartphone Market Share Slipping Fast

Google's Android platform continues to establish its dominance over the growing smartphone market. And as sales of Android-based devices rise, Apple's market share is starting to decline. According to analyst firm Gartner, in the first quarter of ... 2013 Android smartphones accounted for 74.4 per cent of global sales. That means more than 150 million devices are now running the mobile operating system (OS). It also means that Android's share of the smartphone market has skyrocketed approximately 20 per cent since last year. (Source: zdnet.com ) Android Up, Apple Down Facing a reverse trend is ... (view more)

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