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Showing posts with label smartphone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label smartphone. Show all posts

Mar 22, 2012

6 Tips to Secure Your Smartphone

Tips to Secure Your Smartphone:

The number of Americans using smartphones is rising dramatically. As smartphone speed and technology improve, individuals are using their phone to access personal information. Many users now access and manage business and personal email as well as banking and other financial data from their phone. This can make a hacked or stolen phone a one-stop shop for would-be thieves and scammers. These tips will help protect personal information on your phone.




  1. Set a screen lock and password for your phone. Leaving your phone without a password is asking for trouble.
  2. Enable the remote location feature on your phone. This may help you track a lost or stolen phone. Not all phones have this feature built in, but there are apps available for purchase. Some will allow you to remove personal information from your phone after it has been stolen.
  3. Only allow your phone to join trusted networks. Scammers sometimes set up fake wireless networks in public places to lure users into joining the network. This may allow the scammer to track any data to and from your phone.
  4. Update your phone's software. Software updates frequently include security patches. Failing to update your phones software may leave you vulnerable to hackers.
  5. Do not “jail-break” your phone. The practice of “jail-breaking” a phone involves opening up the operating system to applications that were not designed to work on it. This will make your phone vulnerable to hackers.
  6. Only download well-reviewed and tested applications. Some apps may include malicious software designed to capture your personal information.
What others are saying:
How to Secure Your Smartphone - lifehacker
4 Things You Can Do to Secure Your Smartphone - about.com
Simple Steps to Secure Your Smartphone Against Data Theft - pcworld

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Jan 16, 2012

Cruising the Bahamas..in Parkas!

Article first published as Cruising the Bahamas...in Parkas! on Technorati:
As I eluded a couple of posts ago, we went on a week-long cruise to the Bahamas. While we sailed from the chilly East Coast, we were looking forward to some warm rays of sun on the Islands of the Bahamas. Well, we got about a day of warm sun. The rest of the time the temperatures were at around mid 50s.
The scene kind of looked like this when we got off the boat on the 2nd day in port in Nassau:

a bit of photo editing here as was 
not able to get the picture of actual cruisers ;)















Though we did get to enjoy a beautiful day in Port Canaveral, Florida and half a day in Nassau. My wife had her camera along of course and you can view some of the pictures in the Bahamas Cruise album.

photos by Svetik Photography

A new travel companion for this trip was the camera bag Lowepro Passport Sling Camera Bag. This bag fit the DSLR perfectly in it. Even with the new larger lens that wife just got. (For photo enthusiasts, the lense is Sigma 18-250mm). Moreover, it also fits cables, water bottle, snacks, keys, wallet, and a light shirt. It is versatile enough to use as a day bag when it’s not packed with camera and other travel gear. It looks like a regular over the shoulder bag. Which is great as it does not announce to all that there is a camera in there. Without opening it up and looking inside you would not even know its a camera bag. We also put in it while on the trip a collection of travel gadgets such as the point-and-shoot camera, watch, chargers, batteries, and flash memory cards. The camera compartment is a padded bucket that is removable and also comes with a small pocket for memory cards. The outside of the bag has pockets and dividers that will keep your cell phone, pens, sunglasses, and other useful travel accessories organized and easily accessible. And just in case you over stuff the bag with all this, there is a zipped up expansion to make the bag larger to accommodate.

The smartphone has become almost an obvious travel gadget. A lot of the folks had one with them, even though we did not have service most of the trip. They were sharing photos, making notes and contacts, and playing games. Both kids and adults.

While it is not exactly a tech gadget, though some of these are packed with quite a bit of latest manufacturing technology, I realized the sunglasses are definitely a must-have travel gadget. Especially, if you are traveling anywhere down south. On the first day on board of our cruise-liner we went to check out the ship and the deck before unpacking. It was a nice day outside and quite sunny. Since my sunglasses were packed away, I had to squint to enjoy the views. Avoid strange photos and crow's feet, and protect your eyes, bring and wear sunglasses.

The usual suspects that we had on the trip:
- Canon PowerShot SX120IS
- Canon DSLR
- Joby Gorillapod
- Eneloop rechargeable batteries and charger
- newest must-bring gadget - iPhone

Did You Know?: 
Average (regular) temperature in Nassau, Bahamas in January is around 75 degrees.

 What do you think? Let us know below

Jan 10, 2012

Ten technology products that changed travel in 2011

Ten technology products that changed the way I traveled in 2011 article by Scott Carmichael on Gadling.com
2011 was a great year for Gadget lovers - the tech industry pushed out new products at an insane pace. As usual, a vast majority of said gadgets were borderline useless, but especially for the traveler, the year proved to be quite rewarding. ... Read More

Nov 21, 2011

Top 15 Holiday Gifts for your Travel Gadget Geek

As holidays fast approaching and we struggle to come up with the perfect gift for everyone on your list, it’s worth considering that traveling is one of the most past times for a lot of folks. And travel accessories might make a great gift. Especially since many travelers have a favorite item or gadget they can’t leave home without. Even if the person on your list is not looking for the latest tech gadget, there are quite a bit of great travel items that would make their day and even year.

Here are some favorites from folks who spend a lot of time away from home, as well as a look at a few new and interesting items:

Tumi Plug Adaptor - This little gadget offers four different plug configurations in one unit, good for 150 countries for powering devices like MP3 players, digital cameras and mobile phones. It comes in a little black case and the prongs can be pushed in and out for easy storage and transport. http://www.tumi.com

Noise-Cancelling headphones - Sometimes all you want is a little peace and quiet, or just tune out all the things going on around you. And that is when noise canceling headphones are life enhancers, if not life saver in some situations. Read more: Noise canceling headphones - life saver for travelers?
Latest headphones for travel that I recently came across are SleepPhones. Unlike earphones that require you to lie in the same rigid position, AcousticSheep SleepPhones are flat, removable speakers built into a soft fleece headband. They let you fall asleep naturally, without popping drugs or jamming in uncomfortable plugs. Available in several colors from Amazon.com: SleepPhones

Travel Size Bottle Kit is a great travel gadget for packing and organizing and, most importantly these days, abiding by the TSA rules. Read more: Travel Bottle Kit - TSA approved, ready to go

Portable chargers —  to provide hours of extra power when the battery runs out on an iPhone, BlackBerry or iPod.
Solio Bolt charger - eco-friendly, versatile and packable. The charger has an on-board battery and rotating solar panels, and it can juice up from the sun, a USB port or the wall to power your phone, MP3 player, e-reader, GPS or camera.

EBook readers are becoming more and more popular since you can carry with you an entire library for the size of just one paperback. And with with the low price of eBooks and newer and cooler versions of readers coming up, such as Kindle Fire, they area great gift for a person on the go.

GPS - an essential gadget when traveling. One of the most annoying things about going on vacation is getting lost. This tech gadgets will keep you on track in the car, on a boat, or if just walking around town


Smartphone - A smart phone lets you access travel tools such as emails, maps, GPS, compass, check the Internet for hotel reviews etc. For holiday commuting or standing in line, there is no better gadget. Check out our weekly post: "There is a Travel App for That" for some useful travel apps.

Digital Camera - You can't go on a holiday without a camera. A digital camera is probably the most essential travel tool so make sure you have a good one ready for the "Kodak moments". We love our Canon Powershot SX

A Watter Bottle is not only a great accessory to have on a trip but it can also save money and protect your health and invigorate. Instead of purchasing multiple water bottles or drinking from street fountains, a waterbottle would provide clean drinking water that you can fill up from a water filter or at a rest stop. Drinking water is very important. It is even more so on trips when you spend a long time in between stops and walking

Digital Luggage Scale - Take the guesswork out of packing and avoid paying extra fees by finding out luggage weight before check-in.

Venturesafe 200 bag - a small daypack with a lot of security measures. First of, the shoulder strap is slash-proof and snatch-proof. A thief can’t quickly cut through it with a knife because there is wire mesh inside. The same wire mesh goes through the whole bag as well, so the old trick of slashing the bottom of a pack and taking what’s inside won’t work either. The extra-strong zippers tuck into little pockets so they are hard to reach. This bag has essential compartments for several gadgets, keys, and headphones. Read more: Top 5 ways to keep you and your gadgets safe while traveling

SteriPen - small, light and now rechargeable UV water purifier. Its UV light destroys over 99.9% of bacteria, viruses and protozoa such as giardia and cryptosporidium that might be found in some water traveling abroad. The Pen recharges via a micro USB B port using a computer, AC outlet or compatible solar charge. Other versions use batteries, lithium type are strongly recommended.

Digital Travel Clock & Photo Frame - "Love the Digital Travel Clock and it comes with a photo frame. Perfect gift indeed for those people who travels a lot."

Amazon Gift Cards - something for everyone. Never expire.

Swiss Army knife - its a classic multi-tool. Everything you need and more within one device.




Did You Know?:
How to Avoid Paying Retail for Christmas Gifts
Airplane travel gadgets to keep you moving


Nov 17, 2011

Is this possible new design for the next iPhone?

Smartphone for User Efficiency:

Futuristic design for next generation of smartphones by Yanko Design.

"Kunihiko Nakata’s Palette smartphone concept uses top and bottom “sub-displays” for quick and efficient multitasking. Hiding source tasks at the bottom of the wraparound screen means more room for browsing on the main screen’s display, and hiding network tasks at the top allows the user to send information simultaneously through multiple selected services like Twitter, Facebook, email, or text message."

http://www.yankodesign.com/2011/11/01/smartphone-for-user-efficiency/

What do you think of this design? Leave a Comment

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