Antivirus programs have long held a place of importance on the desktop, but as mobile operating systems have grown in popularity the desktop security dogma has bled over. So indoctrinated are the users that when Android antivirus apps began appearing, users snapped them up. Although, with the flurry of news on Android malware, the users can’t really be blamed for making assumptions. Now a new report from security firm AV-Test lays out how futile this entire exercise may be.
The results
The conclusion reached by AV-Test [PDF] is that free Android anti-malware apps are simply not worth your time. It was quite the cavalcade of failure when the apps were used to scan an Android device loaded down with recent, and very real malware. Six of the seven free apps tested failed to get above 10% detection. Only Zoner AntiVirus did any better, but it could only manage 32% detection.
The results make it clear that if you pick up a free antivirus app from the Market, it is likely to miss nine out of ten potential threats. So is the answer to go with the paid apps? AV-Test also took a look at two paid anti-malware solutions for Android to answer that very question. The paid apps were able to scan and detect about half of all installed threats. That still leaves a huge number of malicious packages in the clear.
The other half of the testing was installation blocking. Here, the researchers attempted to install the threats one by one to see if the antivirus apps would spring into action as intended and stop the process. Results were slightly better for the free Zoner app, which blocked 80% of malware. The other free apps, however, failed to detect anything. The paid apps blocked all malware apps from being installed, even those that were not spotted in the manual scans.
What does it mean?
The best outcome for the free apps, with Zoner AV scanning in real-time as apps are installed, 20% of known threats slipped right through. These free apps are used by millions of people, if the numbers from the Android Market are to be believed. Almost all of the free apps are little more than a placebo being brought to bear on a very rough and tumble online world.
There is no financial loss here, and you get what you pay for, right? This is a tempting conclusion to embrace, but AV-Test points out a real psychological issue with the use of these free apps. Users can become complacent and neglect security practices when they embrace the claims offered by the creators of the apps. AntiVirus Free, GuardX, and the rest are giving people a false sense of security, which can make them take more risks.
While the paid solutions did have demonstrably better results, they don’t get off scot-free either. Good on them for stopping all the threats from being installed, but far too many previously-installed malware apps were missed. In this case, users are actually paying for the apps and would reasonably expect to be able to sweep their phones clear of malware. Is this level of protection worth paying for?
What users should do
It isn’t terribly surprising that Android anti-malware apps can’t keep a phone free from nasty code. These apps run in the same sandboxed Java environment all the other apps do. They lack the kind of low-level system access on mobile that desktop antivirus apps have had for years. These apps do have good intentions, but by far the best way to avoid malware infestation is to use a little common sense, and understand how Android apps work.
When an app is installed, the system will always display the permissions requested. The user can use this at a glance to evaluate an app’s intentions. If a relatively simple app, like a wrapper for a website, asks for permission to send and receive SMS messages, that is a serious red flag. In fact, a large number of these so-called “SMS Trojans” are in circulation around the seedier parts of the web. When installed, they text premium rate numbers to rack up charges. The same concern exists for apps that include phone calling permissions; they could call premium rate numbers without the user’s knowledge.
Another important permission to be on the lookout for is access to the contact list, and Google accounts. If an app has no business looking at this data, there is a chance that it’s just malware designed to harvest user data for spamming or phishing scams. The only time one might expect to see this permission is in apps that autocomplete contact names, or handle legitimate messaging actions.
Of less concern financially, but still a sign of shady behavior, is the location permission. This can come in either Fine (GPS) or Coarse (Network) varieties. An app that doesn’t need this data for its essential function could be using it for something as innocuous as location-aware ads, but there is a darker possibility as well. Questionable app could harvest a user’s exact location, store it over time, and sell that to advertisers.
The best way to stay safe on Android is to just stick to established apps from the official Android Market or the Amazon Appstore. While bad apps do occasionally show up in the Market, Google removes them swiftly and can remotely kill the apps on phones.
Most of the truly dangerous threats have been detected on forums and third-party websites masquerading as well-known apps. Basically, don’t install a version of “Cut the Rope” obtained from a Chinese pirated software forum. By leaving the Unknown Sources option disabled in the Android settings, apps cannot even be sideloaded from other sources, which blocks this vector completely.
It just takes a little forethought to avoid the most serious Android malware threats out there. Sticking to the official application repositories is a good policy, as is checking out the permissions for an app. Users might even prefer to leave the Unknown Sources option disabled. There is now good evidence that free Android antivirus apps just don’t work, and could even cause users to believe they are protected, and thus take more risks. Paid antivirus apps work better, detecting more threats, but still fall short of the mark. In the end, it is still very much up to the user to be on the lookout for suspicious behavior in order to stay safe.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Friday, March 23, 2012
How to tell if someone is secretly useing your computer
If you have a snoopy roommate or a curious sibling, this trick will help you find out if they've been using your computer when you're not around.
While you could always set a password or install something like Prey ahead of time, you might be in a position where you suspect someone's already used your computer without your permission. Checking your computer's built-in logs is a great way to do that after the fact. While it won't give you a ton of information like Prey would, it can at least confirm your suspicions about whether someone's been using your machine. Here's how to do it on Windows and OS X.
How to Check the Windows Event Viewer
Windows users just need to open up a program called the Event Viewer, which logs a ton of different things that your computer's recently done. In order to find out when it last awoke:
1. Head to the Start menu and type "Event Viewer" in the search box. Hit Enter when its option comes up in the menu. 2. Double click on Windows Logs in the left sidebar, then click on System. 3. Right click on System and choose Filter Current Log. 4. In the window that pops up, look for the Event Sources drop down. Choose Power-Troubleshooter from this dropdown and hit OK. 5. Look at the middle pane of the Event Viewer window. At the top, you should see all the applicable recent events, in descending order of time. Find the time you suspect your computer was used, and see if there are any events. If there are, you can click on them to see more details, like what woke up your computer, in the bottom middle pane.
You'll need to have a general idea of what time the snooper did their business, but if it was recent, it should be pretty easy to find in the logs. If you find that it was used while you were away, you can then check out your Recent Documents, browser history, and other such locations to see if the snooper left any tracks behind. Of course, the next step would be to install an anti-theft program, in hopes that they try again and you can catch them in the act.
How to Check the Mac OS X Console
If you're using a MacBook, Redditor Moosehadley shares a tip (which inspired this post) to find out when it was last opened. Here's what you need to do:
1. Click on the Spotlight icon and search for Console. Open up the Console app when you see it in the menu. 2. Click on kernel.log in the left sidebar. If you don't see the sidebar, click on "Show Log List" and expand /private/var/log first. 3. Head up to the search bar and search for "Wake reason: EC.LidOpen" (no quotes). 4. You should now see a list of every time your MacBook was opened and awakened, listed by time. The logs should go back about two weeks according to Moosehadley, so just scroll to the time where you think it might have been opened and see if your suspicions are correct.
Like the Windows method, this requires that you have a general idea of when you yourself have used your computer, since the log won't tell you who woke it up each time. But, if you find that your computer was awakened when you weren't nearby, you know you've got a snooper, and you can then check your browser history, recent apps, or recent documents to see what they might have done. If not, an anti-theft app like Prey will help you catch them if they try again later.
It isn't the simplest or most informative way of catching snoopers, but unlike other solutions, it works even if you didn't have any anti-theft software installed beforehand —so you can catch them after they've already used your machine. If you've got any other tips for finding out who's used your computer (or what they've done on it
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Reasons and advantages to rooting your android phone
If you're a member of the little green army, chances are you've either rooted your phone or tablet, have at least thought about it. If you're one of the latter? It's time to take the plunge. And here are ten good reasons why you should do it today.
When you root your Android device, you gain access to the entire file system, with full admin rights. You can customize your own boot image, create a full backup of your phone, or install a full-blown Linux distro. But even if you don't want to get that geeky with it, there are a plethora of everyday reasons to root your Android, and thanks to many smart developers, we have rooting processes that are fairly accessible to the average computer-savvy Joe.
There are a couple of excellent forums that provide up-to-date information on how to root just about any popular Android devics. Go to Android Forums or the XDA-Developer Forums, find your device, and then drill down for the rooting guides and other resources that will be there for most models. And for a couple of sample guides that should show you that rooting is not that crazy of a thing, see Maximum Tech's How To Root Your Android Phone Without Bricking It.
And now, on to our reasons to root, in no definitive order.
10. Bloatware
Also known as crapware and some other choice euphemisms, bloatware infects the vast majority of Android phones. You'll recognize Samsung Touchwiz, HTC Sense, and Motorola MotoBlur as the custom UIs and feature packages that those makers throw on top of stock Android. While some of that bloatware is actually useful, most of it offers nothing that you couldn't arrange on your own with other apps, and it can bog down performance or even block features from your device. Worse yet is that much of the time, bloatware apps are blocked from uninstalling, unless of course, you root your phone.
9. Overclocking
When you root your Android, you gain some control over the hardware components, making overclocking and undervolting possible. It's not uncommon to overclock a 1GHz Android CPU up to 1.6GHz, of course with a greater tendency toward instability. Several root-only apps available in the Android Market handle both overclocking and undervolting, such as SetCPU ($1.99) and Voltage Control (free or $3.36 for the Extreme version).
8. Performance
Besides mere overclocking, rooted users can gain other performance enhancements through kernal tweaks performed by some of the apps we've mentioned here, custom ROMs, or through your own means, if you know what you're doing. Such tweaks in combination with overclocking have been known to increase overall performance on a Nexus S by 250 percent.
Also, as we've previously reported on Maximum Tech, "most Android devices incorporate an EXT3 filesystem with considerable overhead to ensure safe file I/O interaction. Once rooted, however, many of these devices can be upgraded with the faster EXT4 filesystem, resulting in faster load times and overall smoother software performance, while sacrificing a bit of storage stability. Yes, the less stable memory can lead to app crashes and even data loss, but that's pretty rare."
7. Screenshots
For whatever reason, Google didn't write native screenshot ability into Android until Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). A few devices include it as an added feature out of the box, but there's no reason for you to wait for a new ICS device or update if you want to take screenshots today. If you root your Android, you can take advantage of screenshots apps such as Screenshot or PicMe at your leisure.
6. Other Root-only Apps
Once you've successfully rooted your Android, you'll be privy to hundreds, if not thousands, of useful apps that the other suckers of the world can't access. Here are 10 reasons to root your 'droid in one. Just a smidgeon of the root-only app selection includes stuff like:
• DroidWall - Android Firewall (free) can show you any app that is using your wireless data, so you can restrict data use that is chewing up capacity on you plan, as well as see if there is any nefarious and unwanted data use happening.
• Dual Mount SD Widget - ($0.99) lets you mount your SD card to both the phone and a PC at the same time.
• Hexamob Recovery Pro - ($1.39) helps you recover files that you accidentally deleted from your internal memory or SD card.
• Keyboard Manager - (free) lets you choose one keyboard for portrait view and another for landscape.
• LEDs Hack - (free) lets you turn off LED notifications.
• Root Call Blocker - ($5.98) lets you block specific numbers at the system level, so the phone never rings when they call.
• Samba Filesharing - (free) makes your Android's files available as a Windows shared folder over Wi-Fi.
• Sixaxis Controller - ($1.62) lets you mount a PS3 controller to your Android.
• With Theft Aware - (£10), an uber-security program, you can remotely track and wipe a lost or stolen phone, call it, and apparently spy on the person on the other end without them knowing it.
• Titanium Backup - root (free version or $6.58 for Pro) provides a powerful backup tool with extensive features, including letting you remove that pesky bloatware.
5.Custom ROMs
The general feeling among the modder community is that carriers make their Android UIs to benefit their businesses, not the user. If you want the best user experience, you have to flash a custom ROM that was actually made for users.
The term custom ROM is somewhat of a misnomer, but basically it is a customized UI for Android, and there are many from which to choose. Some of them focus on giving you the latest version of Android before your carrier releases an official update, while others focus on extra functionality or speed and stability.
There are too many Android mods to cover here, but you'll want to determine your priorities and pick one that's best for you. Or, you could get Boot Manager ($2.99) from the Android Market, which lets you choose between five different installed custom ROMs at startup.
Some of the most popular custom ROMs include CyanogenMod, which focuses on maximizing performance over flashy looks, but does let you choose themes. Based on Gingerbread, it gives you a Touch to Focus feature in the camera, custom gestures, permission management and much more.
MIUI, a Chinese-developed ROM, is also based on Gingerbread and provides a very distinct look. It only supported 16 devices at the time of this writing, but it's updated every Friday and presumably will add more device support as its ICS-based ROM becomes more stable.
To find a ROM for your device, you can drill down to your device in the XDA-Developers forums, or check out this list on Theunlockr.com.
4. Upgrade Android on Your Own Schedule
Are you incredulous that you still don't have a Gingerbread update for your Froyo phone after more than a year? By the time the carrier gets around to updating it (if it does at all), you may have a perfectly stable ICS update waiting for you if you were to root your phone.
Android custom ROMs allow you to get the latest Android OS before it is ordained from up on high by the company you're paying a monthly bill to. At the time of this writing, there were even a variety of Android 4 ICS ROMs hitting the interwebs, although in general, stability is still a factor with them. It won't be too long before those ICS ROMs are working as smooth as baby food, and it's likely to happen before a whole lot of native ICS devices and sanctioned ICS updates come out.
3. Increase Battery Life
Many of the custom ROMs available aim to improve battery life through internal efficiency settings, app and network activity management, and the removal of bloatware. There's also an experimental app in beta right now called Superpower, available on the Android market in a free and paid ($4.25) version. There are plenty of other battery-saver apps out there—many not requiring root access—but SuperPower goes to the extreme, aiming to provide automatic management of your data connection and radio bands, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, CPU speed, and more. that management is based on factors such as screen state, Wi-Fi connection state, download speed, foreground application, tethering state, sleep mode, charging state, etc. There's no reward without risk, however; the developer wants you to know that the app is still buggy in beta and that you use it at your own risk.
2. Zap Carrier IQ
By now you know what Carrier IQ is, and you may have a rough idea of who's using it. For example, Sprint has since vowed to stop using it. But trying to get a straight answer about how the information Carrier IQ extracts is being used could you take you down a long a frustrating road, ending in a dead end of paranoia. It would be faster and less mind-numbing to just trash it from your handset.
Thanks to Trevor Eckhart, the very man who discovered Carrier IQ on his Android phone, you can do just that. He posted a free .apk called Logging Test App over on the XDA-Developers forums that can show you if a program like Carrier IQ resides on your device. If the test comes up positive, head over to the Android Market and support this modern-day hero by plunking down a measly buck for the Logging Test App Pro Key, which enables you to remove Carrier IQ or other offending software. Of course, none of this is possible unless you root your Android phone first.
1. Because You Can
Finally, just like building your own PC, there's a subjective sense of satisfaction and independence you get from rooting an Android device. Even beyond that, there's a hint of a more rare intangible attached to it: duty. In some way, it's your duty to flip the bird to the manufacturers and carriers that pay you lip service but not nearly enough real service. It's your duty and your privilege to root, because you can. Google made Android open source, and thousands of good people are working on apps and ROMs for you to enjoy, giving you the opportunity to wield the most powerful smartphones available. Passing up the ability to root is akin to missing that opportunity.
You may not be a car enthusiast, but imagine you're cruising on a German autobahn in a fresh Porsche Boxster with nothing but open road and perfect conditions in front of you. Do you keep it to a conservative 75mph? No, you jack it up into triple digits… because you can. You may not be an incorrigible drunk, but if you're on a long weekend in New Orleans, you pour some booze into a plastic cup and stroll down Bourbon Street… because you can.
You bought an Android phone, which probably means that either 1) you know diddly about smartphones and just got whatever was free on contract or looked cool, or more likely 2) you're somehow attracted to the flexibility and customization freedom of Android that you don't find in other mobile operating systems. So here you are. Live a little. Void that warranty! Root your Android, for all of the above reasons, and also just because you can. It's not that hard to do, it's kind of fun, and just like in a clichéd rom com, you'll discover the value of what was right in front of you all along.
How to tell if someone is useing your computer
If you have a snoopy roommate or a curious sibling, this trick will help you find out if they've been using your computer when you're not around.
While you could always set a password or install something like Prey ahead of time, you might be in a position where you suspect someone's already used your computer without your permission. Checking your computer's built-in logs is a great way to do that after the fact. While it won't give you a ton of information like Prey would, it can at least confirm your suspicions about whether someone's been using your machine. Here's how to do it on Windows and OS X.
How to Check the Windows Event Viewer
Windows users just need to open up a program called the Event Viewer, which logs a ton of different things that your computer's recently done. In order to find out when it last awoke:
1. Head to the Start menu and type "Event Viewer" in the search box. Hit Enter when its option comes up in the menu. 2. Double click on Windows Logs in the left sidebar, then click on System. 3. Right click on System and choose Filter Current Log. 4. In the window that pops up, look for the Event Sources drop down. Choose Power-Troubleshooter from this dropdown and hit OK. 5. Look at the middle pane of the Event Viewer window. At the top, you should see all the applicable recent events, in descending order of time. Find the time you suspect your computer was used, and see if there are any events. If there are, you can click on them to see more details, like what woke up your computer, in the bottom middle pane.
You'll need to have a general idea of what time the snooper did their business, but if it was recent, it should be pretty easy to find in the logs. If you find that it was used while you were away, you can then check out your Recent Documents, browser history, and other such locations to see if the snooper left any tracks behind. Of course, the next step would be to install an anti-theft program, in hopes that they try again and you can catch them in the act.
How to Check the Mac OS X Console
If you're using a MacBook, Redditor Moosehadley shares a tip (which inspired this post) to find out when it was last opened. Here's what you need to do:
1. Click on the Spotlight icon and search for Console. Open up the Console app when you see it in the menu. 2. Click on kernel.log in the left sidebar. If you don't see the sidebar, click on "Show Log List" and expand /private/var/log first. 3. Head up to the search bar and search for "Wake reason: EC.LidOpen" (no quotes). 4. You should now see a list of every time your MacBook was opened and awakened, listed by time. The logs should go back about two weeks according to Moosehadley, so just scroll to the time where you think it might have been opened and see if your suspicions are correct.
Like the Windows method, this requires that you have a general idea of when you yourself have used your computer, since the log won't tell you who woke it up each time. But, if you find that your computer was awakened when you weren't nearby, you know you've got a snooper, and you can then check your browser history, recent apps, or recent documents to see what they might have done. If not, an anti-theft app like Prey will help you catch them if they try again later.
It isn't the simplest or most informative way of catching snoopers, but unlike other solutions, it works even if you didn't have any anti-theft software installed beforehand —so you can catch them after they've already used your machine. If you've got any other tips for finding out who's used your computer (or what they've done on it
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Tablets! the new fad? Or useless tech?
Hold on a sec -- let me preface all of this with a quick reminder that I'm speaking on a personal level, and I'm absolutely certain that slates have a place in this world somewhere. We could go back and forth for hours with use-case scenarios (and the same could be done with cars, time machines or your luxury good of choice), but this isn't about proving that a tablet can do one or two things; it's about the limitations and awkwardness of using one that no one seems to talk about.
After years of watching the masses fawn over the iPad (and every other PC maker scramble to come out with something that serves a similar purpose), I still can't ever imagine myself investing in one, let alone actually using one in place of a smartphone or laptop. I've met quite a few folks in my line of work that all ask me the same thing: "Should I buy an iPad?" It's worth noting that no one actually asks if "they should buy a tablet," but that's speaking more about Apple's absurdly enviable mind (and in turn, market) share than anything else. My response is always the same: "If you can't think of a reason you'd need it, you don't need it."
Tablets, for whatever reason, seem to defy logic when it comes to purchase rationalization in the consumer electronics realm. I've yet to meet a person who purchased an ultraportable without knowing full-well that they would take advantage of enhanced battery life and a highly mobile chassis. Everyone I've know that invested in a high-end gaming rig knew why they were shelling out on that $500 GPU (read: frames-per-second). And all of my movie cuttin' pals knew precisely why they just had to have a Thunderbolt RAID setup. But tablets? People are just buying these things in a fit of hysteria -- does anyone actually know why this "third device" is such a necessity? Let's dive a little deeper, shall we?
The obvious answers (and the not-so-obvious question)Look, I'm not disputing that tablets serve a purpose. I would've leaped for ever-loving joy if my middle school classes were delivered on one, and my photographing wife uses hers to show example poses to nervous brides and grooms who want to look good in their wedding album. But when it comes to using one as a tool for myself -- a device which should make me more productive -- slates have failed to provide me with a compelling reason to drop $500+ on yet another computing instrument.
And here's why. With qHD displays becoming the norm, most modern smartphones can nearly match even the highest-resolution tablet display. Pixel-for-pixel, I can see almost as much information in the palm of my hand as I can with an unwieldy screen that requires two hands to use with any precision whatsoever. And then, there's typing. Let's say I'm at work , or at a conference, or at a side job, and I'm attempting to jot a few notes down for later. If needed, I can peck away with a shocking amount of accuracy using SwiftKey's magical prediction keyboard on insert-your-Android-phone-here... with one hand. Is it really worth the pocketbook hit to bring something else in there to do the same thing?
If you're asking what the big deal is with using both of your arms to operate a handheld computing apparatus, you're asking the wrong question. What you should be asking is this: "Why did I just spend $500 on a device that's just marginally easier to get work done on than the smartphone I already own, while being entirely more limiting than even a netbook from an OS standpoint?" If anything, it's just a testament to how immensely useful, longevous and mobile the modern day laptop truly is.
Look, tablets are weird to useC'mon, admit it. Slates are silly to hold and silly to operate. Ever tried taking a photo with a tablet? You're guaranteed to get perfect facial expressions for tomorrow's highlight image on Awkward Family Photos, but that's about it. Without a case, it's even awkward to type on a tablet. You're usually left with two options: propping it up against your leg, or laying it flat on a table and forcing yourself to hover directly over it, neither of which strike me as "natural." You might say that using one is no less strange than pecking away on a laptop, but if I have to sit down with it I might as well use something with a keyboard.
I'll confess that using one as an in-flight entertainment device looks pretty practical, but my 4.3-inch smartphone screen would accomplish the same task with a lot less fuss
I also can't seem to find anyone to justify the value in spending half a grand on something with a souped-up mobile OS. Marketers have stated from the start that a tablet is a "third device" -- something that's worth owning even if you already posses a smartphone and a laptop. I'm guessing it's because they know tablets aren't capable of replacing either. It's too big to fit into any pair of pants I own (unless you own Mc Hammer pants) and it's downright frustrating to use as a netbook replacement.
Even something as basic as chewing through unread emails proves to be a gigantic pain on a tablet. I typically get through eight or nine messages before I need to a) add an attachment from a file system that doesn't exist or b) open up a new browser to complete an inbox search whilst keeping the existing message open in a nearby window. Foiled again. This also brings up the point of multitasking; even with webOS' absolutely laudatory "Cards" system on the now-defunct TouchPad, there's no actual multi-window, multi-app multitasking. I can grab a 10-inch netbook -- priced at $300 or less, usually -- and multitask in ways that iOS could only dream of. Again, I'm looking at this strictly from a productivity standpoint, and if you're still trying to convince me that I need a "third device," you're barking up the wrong tree. I also won't argue that the "experience" of using iOS on a tablet is exemplary, but at most, it's a novelty in my world.
The "third device" requirement is manufacturedApple, and everyone else trying their best to hawk tablets, would have you believe that there's a huge hole in your technophile lifestyle that can only be filled by hauling around yet another contraption. I beg to differ. For consumers who don't consider themselves power users, you might be able to get away with using a tablet in place of a laptop. If that's you, fantastic. You just figured out a way to stick with only two devices, and you made the second one a good bit more compact. But if use things like Photoshop and Windows Movie Maker (real esoteric stuff, I tell ya), or you like to actually add attachments to your email from a file system, you'll probably find yourself in a place like myself: wondering what the heck the fuss is all about.
I'm not disputing the fact that the iPad is a runaway hit; Apple has sold millions, and it'll continue to dominate this landscape for the foreseeable future. It's shareholders are obviously thrilled with the demand. But here's a genuine question: how many of you actually use your tablet (of any brand) for productivity tasks as much as you thought you would when you lined up around the block to buy it? And after you invest a couple hundred in accessories to make it halfway useful, aren't you better off (financially and otherwise) with a bona fide laptop? For me, that answer is "yes". you can even check craigslist for selling offers on ipad. the number one reason will for selling will always be "I just done use it"Even in a world where posting your every moment and thaught a tablet is still not a third device of choice
Pictures provided by: Psymoon
After years of watching the masses fawn over the iPad (and every other PC maker scramble to come out with something that serves a similar purpose), I still can't ever imagine myself investing in one, let alone actually using one in place of a smartphone or laptop. I've met quite a few folks in my line of work that all ask me the same thing: "Should I buy an iPad?" It's worth noting that no one actually asks if "they should buy a tablet," but that's speaking more about Apple's absurdly enviable mind (and in turn, market) share than anything else. My response is always the same: "If you can't think of a reason you'd need it, you don't need it."
Tablets, for whatever reason, seem to defy logic when it comes to purchase rationalization in the consumer electronics realm. I've yet to meet a person who purchased an ultraportable without knowing full-well that they would take advantage of enhanced battery life and a highly mobile chassis. Everyone I've know that invested in a high-end gaming rig knew why they were shelling out on that $500 GPU (read: frames-per-second). And all of my movie cuttin' pals knew precisely why they just had to have a Thunderbolt RAID setup. But tablets? People are just buying these things in a fit of hysteria -- does anyone actually know why this "third device" is such a necessity? Let's dive a little deeper, shall we?
The obvious answers (and the not-so-obvious question)Look, I'm not disputing that tablets serve a purpose. I would've leaped for ever-loving joy if my middle school classes were delivered on one, and my photographing wife uses hers to show example poses to nervous brides and grooms who want to look good in their wedding album. But when it comes to using one as a tool for myself -- a device which should make me more productive -- slates have failed to provide me with a compelling reason to drop $500+ on yet another computing instrument.
And here's why. With qHD displays becoming the norm, most modern smartphones can nearly match even the highest-resolution tablet display. Pixel-for-pixel, I can see almost as much information in the palm of my hand as I can with an unwieldy screen that requires two hands to use with any precision whatsoever. And then, there's typing. Let's say I'm at work , or at a conference, or at a side job, and I'm attempting to jot a few notes down for later. If needed, I can peck away with a shocking amount of accuracy using SwiftKey's magical prediction keyboard on insert-your-Android-phone-here... with one hand. Is it really worth the pocketbook hit to bring something else in there to do the same thing?
If you're asking what the big deal is with using both of your arms to operate a handheld computing apparatus, you're asking the wrong question. What you should be asking is this: "Why did I just spend $500 on a device that's just marginally easier to get work done on than the smartphone I already own, while being entirely more limiting than even a netbook from an OS standpoint?" If anything, it's just a testament to how immensely useful, longevous and mobile the modern day laptop truly is.
Look, tablets are weird to useC'mon, admit it. Slates are silly to hold and silly to operate. Ever tried taking a photo with a tablet? You're guaranteed to get perfect facial expressions for tomorrow's highlight image on Awkward Family Photos, but that's about it. Without a case, it's even awkward to type on a tablet. You're usually left with two options: propping it up against your leg, or laying it flat on a table and forcing yourself to hover directly over it, neither of which strike me as "natural." You might say that using one is no less strange than pecking away on a laptop, but if I have to sit down with it I might as well use something with a keyboard.
I also can't seem to find anyone to justify the value in spending half a grand on something with a souped-up mobile OS. Marketers have stated from the start that a tablet is a "third device" -- something that's worth owning even if you already posses a smartphone and a laptop. I'm guessing it's because they know tablets aren't capable of replacing either. It's too big to fit into any pair of pants I own (unless you own Mc Hammer pants) and it's downright frustrating to use as a netbook replacement.
The "third device" requirement is manufacturedApple, and everyone else trying their best to hawk tablets, would have you believe that there's a huge hole in your technophile lifestyle that can only be filled by hauling around yet another contraption. I beg to differ. For consumers who don't consider themselves power users, you might be able to get away with using a tablet in place of a laptop. If that's you, fantastic. You just figured out a way to stick with only two devices, and you made the second one a good bit more compact. But if use things like Photoshop and Windows Movie Maker (real esoteric stuff, I tell ya), or you like to actually add attachments to your email from a file system, you'll probably find yourself in a place like myself: wondering what the heck the fuss is all about.
I'm not disputing the fact that the iPad is a runaway hit; Apple has sold millions, and it'll continue to dominate this landscape for the foreseeable future. It's shareholders are obviously thrilled with the demand. But here's a genuine question: how many of you actually use your tablet (of any brand) for productivity tasks as much as you thought you would when you lined up around the block to buy it? And after you invest a couple hundred in accessories to make it halfway useful, aren't you better off (financially and otherwise) with a bona fide laptop? For me, that answer is "yes". you can even check craigslist for selling offers on ipad. the number one reason will for selling will always be "I just done use it"Even in a world where posting your every moment and thaught a tablet is still not a third device of choice
Pictures provided by: Psymoon
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
cloud computing and the future of data storage
Cloud computing is all the rage. "It's become the phrase du jour," says Gartner senior analyst Ben Pring, echoing many of his peers. The problem is that (as with Web 2.0) everyone seems to have a different definition.
As a metaphor for the Internet, "the cloud" is a familiar cliché, but when combined with "computing," the meaning gets bigger and fuzzier. Some analysts and vendors define cloud computing narrowly as an updated version of utility computing: basically virtual servers available over the Internet. Others go very broad, arguing anything you consume outside the firewall is "in the cloud," including conventional outsourcing.
Cloud computing comes into focus only when you think about what IT always needs: a way to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends IT's existing capabilities.
Cloud computing is at an early stage, with a motley crew of providers large and small delivering a slew of cloud-based services, from full-blown applications to storage services to spam filtering. Yes, utility-style infrastructure providers are part of the mix, but so are SaaS (software as a service) providers such as Salesforce.com. Today, for the most part, IT must plug into cloud-based services individually, but cloud computing aggregators and integrators are already emerging.
InfoWorld talked to dozens of vendors, analysts, and IT customers to tease out the various components of cloud computing. Based on those discussions, here's a rough breakdown of what cloud computing is all about:
1. SaaSThis type of cloud computing delivers a single application through the browser to thousands of customers using a multitenant architecture. On the customer side, it means no upfront investment in servers or software licensing; on the provider side, with just one app to maintain, costs are low compared to conventional hosting. Salesforce.com is by far the best-known example among enterprise applications, but SaaS is also common for HR apps and has even worked its way up the food chain to ERP, with players such as Workday. And who could have predicted the sudden rise of SaaS "desktop" applications, such as Google Apps and Zoho Office
2. Utility computingThe idea is not new, but this form of cloud computing is getting new life from Amazon.com, Sun, IBM, and others who now offer storage and virtual servers that IT can access on demand. Early enterprise adopters mainly use utility computing for supplemental, non-mission-critical needs, but one day, they may replace parts of the datacenter. Other providers offer solutions that help IT create virtual datacenters from commodity servers, such as 3Tera's AppLogic and Cohesive Flexible Technologies' Elastic Server on Demand. Liquid Computing's LiquidQ offers similar capabilities, enabling IT to stitch together memory, I/O, storage, and computational capacity as a virtualized resource pool available over the network.
4. Platform as a serviceAnother SaaS variation, this form of cloud computing delivers development environments as a service. You build your own applications that run on the provider's infrastructure and are delivered to your users via the Internet from the provider's servers. Like Legos, these services are constrained by the vendor's design and capabilities, so you don't get complete freedom, but you do get predictability and pre-integration. Prime examples include Salesforce.com's Force.com, Coghead and the new Google App Engine. For extremely lightweight development, cloud-based mashup platforms abound, such as Yahoo Pipes or Dapper.net.
5. MSP (managed service providers)One of the oldest forms of cloud computing, a managed service is basically an application exposed to IT rather than to end-users, such as a virus scanning service for e-mail or an application monitoring service (which Mercury, among others, provides). Managed security services delivered by SecureWorks, IBM, and Verizon fall into this category, as do such cloud-based anti-spam services as Postini, recently acquired by Google. Other offerings include desktop management services, such as those offered by CenterBeam or Everdream.
6. Service commerce platformsA hybrid of SaaS and MSP, this cloud computing service offers a service hub that users interact with. They're most common in trading environments, such as expense management systems that allow users to order travel or secretarial services from a common platform that then coordinates the service delivery and pricing within the specifications set by the user. Think of it as an automated service bureau. Well-known examples include Rearden Commerce and Ariba.
7. Internet integrationThe integration of cloud-based services is in its early days. OpSource, which mainly concerns itself with serving SaaS providers, recently introduced the OpSource Services Bus, which employs in-the-cloud integration technology from a little startup called Boomi. SaaS provider Workday recently acquired another player in this space, CapeClear, an ESB (enterprise service bus) provider that was edging toward b-to-b integration. Way ahead of its time, Grand Central -- which wanted to be a universal "bus in the cloud" to connect SaaS providers and provide integrated solutions to customers -- flamed out in 2005.
Today, with such cloud-based interconnection seldom in evidence, cloud computing might be more accurately described as "sky computing," with many isolated clouds of services which IT customers must plug into individually. On the other hand, as virtualization and SOA permeate the enterprise, the idea of loosely coupled services running on an agile, scalable infrastructure should eventually make every enterprise a node in the cloud. It's a long-running trend with a far-out horizon. But among big metatrends, cloud computing is the hardest one to argue with in the long term.
Cloud based services are becomeing a standard in not only the IT world but also in the consumer market. While there are pros and cons to this tech services the investment that major brands like Apple and Microsoft it is becomeing more main stream. Due to it potential to surpass records in data transfer rate sizes and speeds it will be main stream soon.
As a metaphor for the Internet, "the cloud" is a familiar cliché, but when combined with "computing," the meaning gets bigger and fuzzier. Some analysts and vendors define cloud computing narrowly as an updated version of utility computing: basically virtual servers available over the Internet. Others go very broad, arguing anything you consume outside the firewall is "in the cloud," including conventional outsourcing.
Cloud computing comes into focus only when you think about what IT always needs: a way to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends IT's existing capabilities.
Cloud computing is at an early stage, with a motley crew of providers large and small delivering a slew of cloud-based services, from full-blown applications to storage services to spam filtering. Yes, utility-style infrastructure providers are part of the mix, but so are SaaS (software as a service) providers such as Salesforce.com. Today, for the most part, IT must plug into cloud-based services individually, but cloud computing aggregators and integrators are already emerging.
InfoWorld talked to dozens of vendors, analysts, and IT customers to tease out the various components of cloud computing. Based on those discussions, here's a rough breakdown of what cloud computing is all about:
1. SaaSThis type of cloud computing delivers a single application through the browser to thousands of customers using a multitenant architecture. On the customer side, it means no upfront investment in servers or software licensing; on the provider side, with just one app to maintain, costs are low compared to conventional hosting. Salesforce.com is by far the best-known example among enterprise applications, but SaaS is also common for HR apps and has even worked its way up the food chain to ERP, with players such as Workday. And who could have predicted the sudden rise of SaaS "desktop" applications, such as Google Apps and Zoho Office
2. Utility computingThe idea is not new, but this form of cloud computing is getting new life from Amazon.com, Sun, IBM, and others who now offer storage and virtual servers that IT can access on demand. Early enterprise adopters mainly use utility computing for supplemental, non-mission-critical needs, but one day, they may replace parts of the datacenter. Other providers offer solutions that help IT create virtual datacenters from commodity servers, such as 3Tera's AppLogic and Cohesive Flexible Technologies' Elastic Server on Demand. Liquid Computing's LiquidQ offers similar capabilities, enabling IT to stitch together memory, I/O, storage, and computational capacity as a virtualized resource pool available over the network.
4. Platform as a serviceAnother SaaS variation, this form of cloud computing delivers development environments as a service. You build your own applications that run on the provider's infrastructure and are delivered to your users via the Internet from the provider's servers. Like Legos, these services are constrained by the vendor's design and capabilities, so you don't get complete freedom, but you do get predictability and pre-integration. Prime examples include Salesforce.com's Force.com, Coghead and the new Google App Engine. For extremely lightweight development, cloud-based mashup platforms abound, such as Yahoo Pipes or Dapper.net.
5. MSP (managed service providers)One of the oldest forms of cloud computing, a managed service is basically an application exposed to IT rather than to end-users, such as a virus scanning service for e-mail or an application monitoring service (which Mercury, among others, provides). Managed security services delivered by SecureWorks, IBM, and Verizon fall into this category, as do such cloud-based anti-spam services as Postini, recently acquired by Google. Other offerings include desktop management services, such as those offered by CenterBeam or Everdream.
6. Service commerce platformsA hybrid of SaaS and MSP, this cloud computing service offers a service hub that users interact with. They're most common in trading environments, such as expense management systems that allow users to order travel or secretarial services from a common platform that then coordinates the service delivery and pricing within the specifications set by the user. Think of it as an automated service bureau. Well-known examples include Rearden Commerce and Ariba.
7. Internet integrationThe integration of cloud-based services is in its early days. OpSource, which mainly concerns itself with serving SaaS providers, recently introduced the OpSource Services Bus, which employs in-the-cloud integration technology from a little startup called Boomi. SaaS provider Workday recently acquired another player in this space, CapeClear, an ESB (enterprise service bus) provider that was edging toward b-to-b integration. Way ahead of its time, Grand Central -- which wanted to be a universal "bus in the cloud" to connect SaaS providers and provide integrated solutions to customers -- flamed out in 2005.
Today, with such cloud-based interconnection seldom in evidence, cloud computing might be more accurately described as "sky computing," with many isolated clouds of services which IT customers must plug into individually. On the other hand, as virtualization and SOA permeate the enterprise, the idea of loosely coupled services running on an agile, scalable infrastructure should eventually make every enterprise a node in the cloud. It's a long-running trend with a far-out horizon. But among big metatrends, cloud computing is the hardest one to argue with in the long term.
Cloud based services are becomeing a standard in not only the IT world but also in the consumer market. While there are pros and cons to this tech services the investment that major brands like Apple and Microsoft it is becomeing more main stream. Due to it potential to surpass records in data transfer rate sizes and speeds it will be main stream soon.
Friday, July 22, 2011
How to shoot yourself in the foot as a new social site
Today I came across a story on Digg touting a “Facebook competitor” and a “Facebook killer” called SocialPog.com. According to the (absolutely awful) YouTube video, SocialPog is “BIGGGER” than Facebook and apparently revolutionary. If you take a look at SocialPog.com–and I refuse to link to it, so you’ll have to type it in if you really want to see it–you’ll notice that they have well over 6 users and it’s a clone of MySpace circa 2004.
Some revolution that is.
But the worst of it isn’t that the site is an outdated, ugly, useless piece of crap. It’s that SocialPog has irreparably destroyed its reputation before it even had one by gaming Digg and manipulating its way in front of thousands of eyeballs.
Though SocialPog is a social networking site, there’s much a blogger can learn from this mess of a launch.
You better deliver on your promises.
SocialPog claims to be revolutionary, but it’s not. SocialPog claims its launch was highly anticipated, yet only has 6 users. SocialPog says it’s “biggger and better” than Facebook. No way. It just doesn’t deliver on its loudest promises.
As a blogger, its much better for you to be honest and mediocre. As long as you let people know you are trustworthy and genuinely helpful, they’ll look past your flaws. Besides that, you’ll always be evolving and growing as a blogger. Successful bloggers might start mediocre, but they never stay that way.
But if you make incredible promises that you absolutely can’t deliver on, people will remember that and they won’t excuse it. Even if you transform the site into the most mindblowingly useful website ever created, people will still ignore you as that dick that lied to them. You only get one shot at a first impression.
Don’t pay spammers to pretend your blog is bigger or better than it really is.
How did SocialPog get to the front page of Digg with over 200 votes? A ton of accounts created specifically and exclusively for the purpose of digging the video and leaving “positive” comments.
Check out these gems:
“Dreaming to join this lovely site.”
“HUH! I never think in that way.”
“I simply love the way they are providing their services.”
“I am impressed with their effective working.”
“This website is going to be the turning stone in social networking.”
Those aren’t even things I’d want people to say about my site if I hadn’t paid them. This is dishonest and ridiculous.
Your blog should be able to stand on its own merits. If you have to pay people to talk about it, you’ve lost. If you have to pay people to share it, you’ve lost.
Your blog should be grown through genuine relationships and true fans.
If your concept depends on you being compared to a bigger and better site, find a new concept.
In their video, SocialPog describes itself as a Facebook competitor. The spammers describe it as a Facebook killer. This is a no no. Why?
Think about it this way. If I described Blog Design Guy as a ProBlogger competitor and a ProBlogger killer, whenever you visited you’d automatically see it through that lens. You’d ask yourself, “Is this site a better ProBlogger than ProBlogger is?”
The answer will always be “No” because this is not and will never be ProBlogger.
You want to carve out your own space and find your own audience. That’s not to say everything you do has to be 100% original (because that’s impossible), but as long as you are doing it your way its going to come across as fresh, interesting and authentic.
The Bottom Line
The principle underlying all this advice? Don’t cheat. Don’t try to be a success faster than you deserve to be. Whatever shortcuts you take will only push you further from lasting success.
What do you think about this SocialPog debacle? What would your advice be?
Some revolution that is.
But the worst of it isn’t that the site is an outdated, ugly, useless piece of crap. It’s that SocialPog has irreparably destroyed its reputation before it even had one by gaming Digg and manipulating its way in front of thousands of eyeballs.
Though SocialPog is a social networking site, there’s much a blogger can learn from this mess of a launch.
You better deliver on your promises.
SocialPog claims to be revolutionary, but it’s not. SocialPog claims its launch was highly anticipated, yet only has 6 users. SocialPog says it’s “biggger and better” than Facebook. No way. It just doesn’t deliver on its loudest promises.
As a blogger, its much better for you to be honest and mediocre. As long as you let people know you are trustworthy and genuinely helpful, they’ll look past your flaws. Besides that, you’ll always be evolving and growing as a blogger. Successful bloggers might start mediocre, but they never stay that way.
But if you make incredible promises that you absolutely can’t deliver on, people will remember that and they won’t excuse it. Even if you transform the site into the most mindblowingly useful website ever created, people will still ignore you as that dick that lied to them. You only get one shot at a first impression.
Don’t pay spammers to pretend your blog is bigger or better than it really is.
How did SocialPog get to the front page of Digg with over 200 votes? A ton of accounts created specifically and exclusively for the purpose of digging the video and leaving “positive” comments.
Check out these gems:
“Dreaming to join this lovely site.”
“HUH! I never think in that way.”
“I simply love the way they are providing their services.”
“I am impressed with their effective working.”
“This website is going to be the turning stone in social networking.”
Those aren’t even things I’d want people to say about my site if I hadn’t paid them. This is dishonest and ridiculous.
Your blog should be able to stand on its own merits. If you have to pay people to talk about it, you’ve lost. If you have to pay people to share it, you’ve lost.
Your blog should be grown through genuine relationships and true fans.
If your concept depends on you being compared to a bigger and better site, find a new concept.
In their video, SocialPog describes itself as a Facebook competitor. The spammers describe it as a Facebook killer. This is a no no. Why?
Think about it this way. If I described Blog Design Guy as a ProBlogger competitor and a ProBlogger killer, whenever you visited you’d automatically see it through that lens. You’d ask yourself, “Is this site a better ProBlogger than ProBlogger is?”
The answer will always be “No” because this is not and will never be ProBlogger.
You want to carve out your own space and find your own audience. That’s not to say everything you do has to be 100% original (because that’s impossible), but as long as you are doing it your way its going to come across as fresh, interesting and authentic.
The Bottom Line
The principle underlying all this advice? Don’t cheat. Don’t try to be a success faster than you deserve to be. Whatever shortcuts you take will only push you further from lasting success.
What do you think about this SocialPog debacle? What would your advice be?
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