Archive for the
‘Mobile technology’ Category

Home / Mobile technology

Mobile gets boost in NYC, Chicago subways 0

Welcome to a better wireless underground.

Two of the largest subway systems in the country, New York and Chicago, are expanding the ability for mobile device owners to use their smartphones and tablets at transit stations. The days of a dropped phone signal as you enter a subway station are going the way of the token, thanks to improved technology and wireless infrastructure.

In New York, the nation’s largest subway system, the Metropolitan Transit Authority is adding wireless and Wi-Fi service to 11 stations in midtown Manhattan, including Grand Central Terminal, Herald Square and Bryant Park, and stations in the borough of Queens. The MTA launched wireless and Wi-Fi service at 36 subway stations last year, among them Times Square, and according to TransitWireless.com, the Wi-Fi network served 2.6 million connections throughout the year.

Smartphones like the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S4 were the most popular devices to connect to the Wi-Fi network and were responsible for 76 percent of the data usage in the stations last year.

When this expansion phase is completed in June, nearly 250 million riders will have access to service from AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon Wireless.

Besides convenience, the expansion of wireless service is expected to also enhance passenger safety and security, the MTA says. E911 will allow dispatchers to know when a call is being placed underground and the location of the caller. Employees and first responders will also have enhanced communications in an emergency.

Upgrades are also coming to Chicago, home to the nation’s third-busiest rail transit system. The Chicago Transit Authority is upgrading the existing wireless network to 4G technology. This is expected to improve service on the Blue and Red lines, which have a total of 24 miles of individual tunnels. Work on the project is expected to begin later this year.

So if you’re traveling to these cities anytime soon and plan to use their subways, rest assured that your wireless communication experience is about to improve.

 

Smartphone security: To ‘kill’ or not? 0

The installation of a “kill switch” in mobile devices to deter theft, first proposed by California legislators, now has the attention of federal lawmakers.

lockedphone_artFour U.S. senators introduced legislation to require carriers to install a security feature on smartphones that would remotely and permanently disable the devices if stolen. The legislation follows California’s first-in-the-nation bid to make the so-called “kill switch” mandatory on all mobile devices, including tablets.

Theft is a serious problem confronting owners of mobile devices. In major cities like New York and San Francisco, smartphone theft accounts for half of all robberies. There’s even an informal and diabolical name for it: “Apple picking.” U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, one of the bill’s sponsors, estimates the cost of these thefts to consumers is more than $30 billion a year.

The idea is for the disabling technology to be an effective deterrent by making the smartphones worthless to thieves.

But not everyone is on board. The wireless trade group CTIA has come out against the federal legislation in a position paper, citing potential hacking and privacy risks that could affect entire groups of smartphone customers. A lost smartphone reported stolen could cost the consumer hundreds of dollars to replace it, the CTIA says. The group does support criminal penalties for tampering with a smartphone.

“There is a far better way to do this, but it would actually require that criminals are captured, smartphones are returned to the owners, and justice is served, PCMag.com’s John Dvorak writes in panning the federal legislation. “It also means providers and police have to do more than sit around hitting a kill switch and having a doughnut.”

This recent CNET article goes into depth about the security devices already employed in most smartphones, and what the wireless industry is doing — and not doing — to deter thieves.

 

 

 

Why ‘Work from Home’ no Longer Means Staying In 0

Once considered a perk of employment, working from home (now referred to in most job descriptions and tweets from people who aren’t in the office simply as “WFH”) is increasingly becoming a way of business life.

The numbers have risen dramatically in recent years, based on statistics gathered by globalworkplaceanalytics.com. The number of employees of companies who worked from home at least some of the time rose 70.4 percent from 2005 to 2012, the last year statistics are available. For people who worked with nonprofit organizations, the increase was 87.6 percent during that period.

The report “The State of Telework in the U.S.”, which is based on Census Bureau statistics, says regular telecommuters will total 4.9 million by 2016.

With so many people telecommuting some, or even all of the time, taking advantage of advances in mobile technology, communications and believing that they can be more productive, it is a trend that is likely to continue.

It makes a lot of sense, reducing wasted time spent commuting to the office, decreasing congestion at rush hour on the roads and on public transportation, and helping workers balance their family responsibilities with the job.

Of course, some workers who spend a large amount of time in a WFH scenario do report that they miss the social interaction they get at work, and find they get a bit bored with spending all of their time in the home office.

Thanks to improved access to WiFi networks in some cities, many restaurants and coffee houses, working from home is increasingly changing in meaning to simply “working anywhere I like, as long as it’s not the office. Whether you choose to hang out in Starbucks or you are lucky enough to live in one of the many coastal cities in places that now have WiFi enabled beaches, remote workers can now choose the location they feel most comfortable and inspired, pick up their laptop, smartphone, tablet and whatever else they need, and head out for a relaxing but productive day.

Tablet use for mobile commerce surges 0

We’re using  our tablets in growing numbers to buy merchandise, as tablet payments comprise almost half of all mobile commerce.

This comes out of a new study released this week by Javelin Strategy & Research on the mobile shopping market. The use of tablets for online purchasing and commerce is surging as overall mobile retail sales topped $60 billion last year, Pleasanton, Calif.-based Javelin says; tablets were responsible for $28.7 billion in mobile online commerce — purchases, payments and the like. It was slightly more than for smartphones. In 2012 tablets accounted for $5.1 billion in commerce.

Javelin says the devices are expected to become more dominant as a purchase channel as tablet device ownership grows. Tablet-optimized shopping experiences, such as apps, should be a top priority for merchants and businesses looking to capitalize on the growth of mobile online commerce.

You can read more about this here. Tell us what you think.

Tips to delete racy mobile content 0

The initial story was interesting enough: A youth group creates an app to educate students about expunging old juvenile offenses from their records.

But in bringing up the app for a Chicago TV news segment, the demonstrator inadvertently showed a link to a porn site on the mobile device’s browsing history. Some sharp-eyed viewers couldn’t resist bringing it up. And the adult-themed site has some advice for mobile users who want to keep their viewing history discreet.

The demo for WGN-TV’s segment on the student-created app, called Expunge.io, did not belong to any of the people interviewed or anyone from WGN, station news director Greg Caputo tells AOL Jobs.  The demonstrator’s typed search on the smartphone revealed links to the owner’s previously visited websites, among them an adult website called Pornhub.

A chastened WGN took the story down from its own site and off YouTube, though you can see the segment here on Mediaite.

Pornhub has taken notice and its tech team has some suggestions. Says company vice president Corey Price in a statement:

“We have had the pleasure of watching the WGN debacle make headlines around the country, and while we wholeheartedly appreciate the exposure as a result of the demo phone in question, we’d like to offer up a little help to users looking to hide their dirty laundry a bit better moving forward.

That said, we’ve had our tech team devise the following steps to give unbeknownst surfers some first-hand knowledge about how to delete their mobile browser history in the spirit of keeping things discreet, and perhaps a bit less embarrassing for mobile enthusiasts.”

For iPhones:

  • Ensure your phone is powered on – head into the “Settings” menu on the home screen
  • Scroll down and tap on “Safari”
  • Scroll down into the subsequent menu and you’ll find two options: “Clear History” and “Clear Cookies”
  • Tap on all of these to clear them out

For Android phones:

  • Ensure your phone is powered on – open the mobile browser
  • Press the “Menu” key, followed by “More”
  • Continue on to the ‘Setting’ button and scroll down to ‘Privacy Settings’
  • Click on “Clear History”
  • Press “OK” (repeat for “Cache,” “Cookie History” and “Form Data”)

 

 

 

 

 

Mikva Challenge decided to create an app to “educate young detainees and parents” and help them understand a process called expungement, under which juveniles can petition the courts to clear their records. The app is called Expunge.io.

Low-tech ways to protect your mobile device 0

California legislators are proposing a law that would be the first in the nation to require that all smartphones and tablets sold in the state have disabling technology installed that would render the smartphone or tablet inoperable if stolen.

As we said in a recent post, the proposed “kill switch” law could catch on nationwide as thefts of mobile devices continue to be a serious and dangerous issue. If passed, the law could go into effect as early as New Year’s Day.

tablets_artUntil then — or if you live somewhere other than California — here are a few low-tech ways to safeguard your mobile device from theft:

Don’t leave your device unattended. It only takes a moment for a thief to walk off with your $600 iPad or $400 smartphone when you’re at the coffee shop counter. Don’t leave it alone in public places.

Be aware of your surroundings. Avoid using it in areas that appear unsafe. Be wary of people who act suspiciously, and keep both hands on the device when using it in public.

Install a tracking app. This comes in handy in case someone does swipe your mobile device or takes it by force. Both Android smartphones and iPhones offer free tracking apps. You can log in to another device like a laptop or tablet to locate your missing device. Get help from law enforcement; don’t go after it yourself.

Use the protection features installed on your device. Whether it is fingerprint technology, retinal displays or a password, use these features to render the phone or tablet or iPad useless to thieves.

Treat the device like your wallet. You make sure your wallet containing your cash, ATM card, personal photos and other sensitive items is secure from pickpockets. Your smartphone or tablet has sensitive data, passwords, mobile banking information, all of which can be a big payoff for thieves. Treat your mobile device like you would your wallet.

More apps that can help you get through winter 0

We recently posted a link to a CNN Tech story from last year about apps that can help you get through the winter storms that keep raging every few days or so.

Well, the Midwest and New England are in the midst of yet another wintry event. With little relief in sight, we offer a few more apps here, available on iOs and Android and other devices, that could help people get through this cold mess:

WeatherBug_artWeatherBug (left)boasts slide navigation, interactive maps, severe weather alerts and other tools to help you prepare.

Available for Android and iOS operation systems as well as Windows and Blackberry, AccuWeather updates current weather conditions every 15 minutes or so.

EyeinSkyapp_artEye in the Sky (left) is a simple, yet effective and customizable app for reporting the weather in your location.

The Weather Channel’s app may be the most comprehensive: it’s available for iPhone, Android, Blackberry,  Windows phone devices, iPad and Kindle. You can get et weather information for any U.S. city or ZIP code via text message. Other alerts such as severe weather forecasts are also available.

 

 

 

Report looks at mobile’s impact on travel industry 0

The use of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices is dramatically changing our travel habits, Business Insider says in a new report.

The Internet has been a game-changer in the travel industry since consumers turned to online bookings in droves to find the best prices for flights, hotels and vacation packages, usually logging in to third-party sites for money-saving deals.

The BI Intelligence report released this week looks at where mobile devices stand when it comes to the travel market and what’s in store for the industry. The report is available through subscription, but BI Intelligence does summarize some key points:

  • Mobile devices have become essential tools for business and leisure travelers, allowing them to access information and services event before reaching their destination.
  • Tablets are emerging as the go-to device for booking travel plans.
  • Airlines, hotel chains, and online sites need to stay ahead of the  mobile computing curve.
  • Expect to see new travel-related apps and features tailored for wearable devices.

Physicians and their Mobile Devices 0

Gone are the days where you would see a hospital physician huddled in a report room somewhere madly fingering through volumes of texts and journals looking for information on a particular diagnosis or medication.

Today, you’re more likely to see a physician (not only in the hospital, but in the family doctor offices and dental offices) madly tapping away on an iPad or iPhone.

The availability and sheer number of medical apps in the various app stores have soared in the past few years, thanks to the popularity, portability and storage capacity of the smart mobile devices of today. A visit online to the Apple AppStore as an example will make this quite apparent as you browse through the “medical” category.

Not only are there numerous apps for keeping track of patient lists and all the valuable information required there, such as allergies and past medical history, but there’s also a fair number of popular diagnostic resources that have been created into an app.

A great example is the Merck Manual, which has been around in paper book form for well over 100 years. It’s an extremely popular resource for physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals looking for information on health-related topics, specifically related to symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

The Merck Manual is now an app, and a pretty good one for that matter.

For $35 you can download the universal app onto both your iPad and iPhone and you’re good to go. You instantly have access to this essential medical reference book right there on your iPhone. If you also download a medication reference app and an app for physiotherapy recommendations, you really can have an entire medical library for reference literally at your fingertips.

Just think of how beneficial this can be for medical students.

You can see how the popularity of mobile devices and app development has really changed the way healthcare professionals practice their work. It’s become a quick and trusted way to access information, track health records, save paper and make everyone more productive.

Link:

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/merck-manual-professional/id331016312?mt=8

When winter wreaks havoc 0

It took but 2 inches of snow to turn metro Atlanta into the largest commuter parking lot in the South.

A critical convergence of snow, freezing weather and an exodus of hundreds of thousands of homeward commuters wreaked havoc on the region Tuesday afternoon, leading to colossal traffic jams on the interstates and access roads and stranding motorists in their cars overnight in many locations.

The past 24 hours have been rough on those living in Atlanta and throughout parts of the Southeast, in places where this winter storm cut an icy swath. With that in mind, we came across this CNN Tech piece from last year on several smartphone apps that it says can be helpful in the event of a winter storm.

One in particular, the Winter Survival Kit app developed by the North Dakota State University extension service and downloadable for Android and Apple devices, would have been especially useful to the thousands who were stuck on the ice-slick highways.

Maybe these apps will come in handy when the next big one hits.