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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Mobile Scanner - Business Travel Must Have

How many time have you found yourself with crumpled up receipts sticking out everywhere? Piled up in glove compartment, side pocket of your bag or wallet, or in a pocket of your pants.
While traveling, I have experienced that many times. You go out all the time while on a trip. Going to a restaurant, shopping, visiting attractions and so on. And the receipts from every one of these places pile up. You toss some out, but other you hold on for the time being. This is especially true for business travelers since you would need all of the proofs of purchase if you would like to be reimbursed later on by your company. The answer for the paper mess comes in the form of handheld scanners. An advancement in technology that made large imposing printer scanners into small transportable gadgets. These measuring only 1.5" x 2" x 11-13" and weighing a mere 1.5 pounds on average.

One of the first ones on the market, the first compact scanner that I ever saw, was NeatReceipts Mobile Scanner. Not only is this one slim and able to scan receipts, business cards and documents so you can organize, store and secure all your important information. It also comes with software that identifies and extracts the important information - and automatically organizes it for you. Which I thought was a great addition since its great to digitize the documents, but it is even better when they are easy to sort and view.

Other highly rated hand-held scanners:
- Planon DocuPen RC805 (4+ star rating - Cnet and PCMag)

- Fujitsu SCANSNAP S1100




- Brother DSMobile Scanner




Why good to have on a trip:

- Lightweight and powered by a USB port or Wireless
- Scans without the need for a computer
- Save digital copies of receipts and records of vendors, dates, and totals
- Export data to PDF, Excel®, Quicken®, QuickBooks®, TurboTax®
- It is the greatest way to keep track of all the small receipts when on business trips or vacation

"I'd go so far as to say that this little gadget now ranks on the indispensability scale right up there with TiVo, iPod and HDTV."

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Monday smile with a cup of joe

Happy Monday

Monday Mug Runs on Coffee found on Craziest Gadgets

Why good to have at your office:
- Start morning with a smile
- And oh yeah - coffee

More Monday mugs

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Winter trip to summer home of the rich and the famous (Hamptons, LI)

Last weekend we took a trip to Long Island. Winter is not exactly known as the season for traveling to Southampton, though we thought it was a great time to check out the sites without getting stuck in traffic or dealing with crazy summer crowds It was our first time venturing that far west on the island. We actually made it all the way to west-most point of LI, Montauk Lighthouse.


Another unique part of this trip was that for the first time in all our travels, this venture was not pre-planned. We decided to take the trip a couple of weeks before. This was quite unusual for my wife, who likes to start the research and planning months before a trip and have every stop mapped out.

While I did take a look at some of the attractions in out potential destination and we did book a stay at B&B beforehand, the rest was left up to last minute decisions or whatever we find on our phones. And that is where the idea for this type of trip actually originated and was helped with significantly. We both, finally, had smartphones.

We were able to look up wineries to visit and their location while en route. There is app for the LI Wine Country that provided most of the information. Other apps we used to plan out the day were the TripAdvisor and Yelp to find places to dine. And Google Maps to track where we are and to plan stops according so we do not drive in circles or unnecessary distance to conserve on gas.

During our trip we visited 7 wineries. It was great to see the types that are located in Long Island and sample the variety of wines. This would have been a lot tougher in the warmer months with huge crowds. There were a few folks out and about, probably as sign of the time, though the wait was minimum if at all in most places.
Laurel Lake Winery was one of my favorites. They have a great selection with both reds and whites.
Other wineries we visited were:
Wolffer's Estates - very elegant atmosphere with a sit down wine tasting
Duckwalk - large variety of wines and friendly staff
Pindar - one of the largest wineries that produces a lot of the grapes or the region
Beddell - it was an eclectic taste as well as decor

Our other stops were the Village Cheese Shop, located on Love Lane (that is a real name) in Mattituck, that has great selection of cheese and even better service with friendly and knowledgeable staff. And we also got snacks at the Tate's Bakery, some tasty chocolate chip cookies.
Overnight, we stayed at Ele's Hideaway B&B. It was a great looking house, with in-bathroom jacuzzi, beautiful and large bedroom. The host was very nice and so was the breakfast in the morning.

Other notable tid bits from the trip:
- It was the first time that I took my current car up to 100 mph
- It seemed that LI was the land of Range Rovers, at least during this season, as just about every car on the road was either a Range or Land Rover.
- We saw the house from the show "Revenge" that is shown in the arial shots (it is kind of visible in the beach pictures below)



List of usual suspects/ Gadgets we had with us:
DSLR
GPS
Canon PowerShot SX150 IS
And now iPhone

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