What killed your smartphone?

Credit: techandroid.net

Check the article below about the threats to your smartphone. Comments are useful reading too.

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2016/03/17/what-is-the-worst-thing-to-happen-to-your-mobile-phone/

Take home message from the article above, is that the major dangers to your phone are being dropped onto a hard surface, or submerged under water.

So, what can you do?

Drop protection – a good case. Most cases are not good when it comes to impact protection. Most only offer protection against abrasion & very short falls onto a hard surface. Unfortunately, the most likely falls are from waist height. Otterbox’s Defender is the only case I have used which can reliably protect against falls from waist height onto a hard surface. They are also available for a wide range of phones. Biggest disadvantage is that they add more to the bulk of a phone than other, less protective cases.

https://www.otterbox.com/

I also hear good things about LifeProof cases, which also claim to be waterproof. LifeProof was acquired by Otterbox in 2013¹.

https://www.lifeproof.com/

Cases can also protect against drops by preventing the drop altogether – phones constructed of metal & glass are popular, but are relatively slippery. Most cases are grippier than a bare phone.

Water protection is more difficult. LifeProof, mentioned above, are the only waterproof cases I am aware of. Samsung’s S5 & S7 phones are themselves waterproof. As an older model, the S5 is now available quite cheaply, & the S7 is the very latest.


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¹ “LifeProof”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LifeProof / smartphone with a broken screen smartphones bigger bezels smaller glass plastic screens glass area larger screen easier to hold onto thin light devices recent study Verizon Wireless KRC Research mobile phone owners lost broken devices survey conducted consumers mobile phone users lost broken mobile devices results survey mobile phone owners dropped damaged phone throwing sitting on it respondents broken phone driving over it submerging damaged at home bathrooms study mobile phone owners drop handsets once a week some demographics more buttery-fingers millennials drop mobile phones twice as many times previous generations survey parents more likely lose break devices don’t have children embarrassing survey participants broken phone embarrassing smartphone-damaging story /

BMW & Nissan in talks to join all-electric Formula E racing series

Credit: aficioncentral.com

Negotiations are in progress for BMW & Nissan, to join Jaguar, in Formula E for the 2016-2017 season.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/16/11246782/bmw-nissan-formula-e-manufacturers-electric-racing

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/123280 / BMW Nissan join Formula E global all-electric racing series started in 2014 manufacturers teams series third season BMW's motorsport division series drivers swap cars mid-race battery capacity Formula E implementing a single-car format series fifth season Nissan fact-finding mission series long-term motorsport strategy Formula E organizers series manufacturers 10 teams spec car inaugural season teams develop new drivetrain components cars including electric motor inverter gearbox transmission rear suspension open competition attracted international manufacturers Renault Citroën Mahindra McLaren Jaguar joining the series season three teams begun developing cars third season BMW Nissan develop drivetrain technology join the series partner with existing teams Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag series manufacturers /

Apple vs FBI iPhone encryption – new perspectives

The Apple vs FBI iPhone encryption case has many facets, both technical & ethical, but, just in case you thought you finally had your head around all of the issues, here are a couple of other things to consider:

At least some Apple engineers would rather quit than develop an iPhone backdoor for the FBI
https://bgr.com/2016/03/18/iphone-hacking-apple-engineers-fbi/

Florida sheriff on Tim Cook – “I’d lock the rascal up.”
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/03/florida-sheriff-pledges-to-arrest-ceo-tim-cook-if-apple-resisted-cooperation/ / Florida sheriff pledges arrest CEO Tim Cook Apple resists crypto cooperation Apple wouldn't comply court order sheriff vows lock the rascal up Florida sheriff threatened arrest Apple CEO Tim Cook situation similar Apple's resistance government pressure ongoing San Bernardino terrorism investigation jurisdiction government obtained unprecedented court order All Writs Act obscure 18th-century statute compel Apple help order legal challenges Apple forced create customized iOS firmware remove passcode lockout seized iPhone 5C Apple court filings fight order drawn support cryptographers tech companies husband survivor of the attack press conference Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd detectives passcodes unlock phones Apple’s refusal create custom-firmware FBI brute-force seized iPhone 5C San Bernardino sheriff federal judge state judge above the law CEO of Apple not above the law United States locked iPhones Cook being put behind bars contempt of court order this county state attorney's office prosecute judge lock the rascal up Judd Apple comment Apple legal wrangling FBI mobile encryption Department of Justice DoJ compel Apple hand over iOS source code electronic signature run modified version of iOS iPhone Tim Cook FBI Apple Tim Cook encryption FBI’s FBI Apple’s Apple engineers FBI creating an entirely new version of iOS backdoor engineers rather quit Apple create code moral compass Apple employees law enforcement authorities balk at the work quit undermine security software current former Apple employees engineers tasked with the job FBI prevail in court Apple’s top software engineers engineer who developed software for the iPhone iPad Apple TV engineer senior quality-assurance engineer expert bug catcher testing Apple products iPod employee security architecture operating systems iPhone Mac Apple TV Apple FBI court /

Hautlence Labyrinth watch

Hautlence Labyrinth watch
Credit: PortalGram

Smartwatches take a conventional timepiece & add features.

Luxury Swiss watchmaker, Hautlence, had a different idea: ditch the timekeeping function & add – a labyrinth.

And only $US12,000!

Not convinced?

18k gold ball!

Still not convinced?

Hautlence explains it this way:



http://toyland.gizmodo.com/12-000-labyrinth-maze-watch-doesnt-even-tell-the-time-1764729636 / play games wrist feature smartwatches smartwatch smart-watch smart watch Swiss watchmaker Hautlence peculiar piece Playground Labyrinth tiny 18k gold ball navigated around complicated maze moving your wrist ball destination falls through tiny hole into watch’s inner workings turning Playground Labyrinth crown wheel dial side activates hidden mechanism brings ball up through another hole start of the maze watch’s dial retrieve that tiny ball how do you wind it Playground Labyrinth doesn’t actually tell time keeping mechanism roughly $12,000 Hautlence simple ball maze flashy upgrades what time it is smartphone /

HitchHiker's Guide 2 Tech turns 5!

Credit: bluewallpaperbackground.weebly.com/

Yes, HitchHiker's Guide 2 Tech has turned 5!

First post was on 16 March 2011, an article titled: “Cold Fusion – Didn't we do this already?” My article took a cautious approach to renewed claims on this topic, & despite many changes in energy production, management & use, in the intervening five years, cold fusion has yet to be demonstrated.

Check it out at http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/cold-fusion-didnt-we-already-do-this.html

In those 5 years, there has been at least one post every day – over 7,800 in total, & just short of 150,000 page views.

Check back tomorrow – new material every day! / blog 5th fifth 5 five birthday years /

Protect your packages with Package Guard – video

Credit: Package Guard

Package Guard is pretty much just what its name says. Its purpose is to prevent theft of parcels left at your front door. As implied in the image above, it depends on the delivery driver placing the parcel on the Package Guard. Anyone else seeing a problem?

When a parcel is placed on the device, it notifies you, &/or others you choose, via email or SMS. If the parcel is removed without disarming the Package Guard, it sounds an alarm & sends another notification.

Although the video below indicates that the Package Guard can protect more than one package if they are stacked on top of each other, some further potential problems suggest themselves:

● once the first package is placed on the Package Guard, the instruction about package placement will be wholly or partly covered

● if large package(s) is/are placed on top of smaller ones, the stack may become unstable & fall, triggering the alarm

● a helpful delivery driver may try to stabilise an unstable stack by re-arranging the packages & trigger the alarm

As of this writing, you can still reserve a Package Guard on Kickstarter with a $50 pledge.

Kickstarter project at:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/packageguard/the-package-guard/rewards / Package Guard protects your delivered delivery driver unattended packages thieves Package Guard Frisbee-sized alarm device sits at your front door clear delivery location UPS FedEx DHL United States Post Office other courier services PLACE PACKAGE HERE delivery safely delivered Package Guard alarm armed remove package disarm disable reply replying text email with OFF remove removes your items armed Package Guard sets off alarm similar car fire alarm device attached semi-permanent hard surfaces use a screw steal thief theft package device device pressure attach surface integrate major surveillance camera brands picture of the thief share with police Facebook warn neighbors growing problem package packages parcels delivered package theft crime criminal crimes commit inexpensive solution Package Guard solution demo demonstration video funds device IOS app backers Kickstarter app Package Guard using existing technologies /

Australia’s Environment Minister claims “peak emissions” – "No" say climate experts

Australia’s Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, claimed on ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) radio this morning that Australia, “... reached peak emissions in 2005-06 ... & the course of history to come for Australia is that we will continue to be below that figure.”

Brought responses including:

● “... there is no peak in sight … Australia’s emissions growth rate is projected to be among the highest of all developed countries.” – Hugh Grossman, Executive Director of RepuTex

● “Australia’s emissions have been rising for the past two years, land clearing is escalating in Queensland & New South Wales, there are big question marks over the future of the emissions reduction fund & we have a wet lettuce safeguards policy & no limits on coal-fired electricity generation.” – John Connor, Chief Executive of the Climate Institute

● “And Australia's fossil fuel emissions continue to rise, jumping 3% in the 2014-15 year – unlike the European Union & the US, whose emissions have genuinely peaked.” – Climate Council

● “There is no time to waste. Every year that we don’t significantly reduce fossil fuel emissions matters. We cannot solve climate change through questionable carbon accounting that hides increases in fossil fuel emissions." – Prof. Will Steffen, Australian National University

More:

Australian emissions rising towards historical highs and will not peak before 2030, analysis finds –
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/australian-emissions-rising-towards-historical-highs-and-will-not-peak-before-2030-analysis-finds-20160131-gmhw7y.html

Greg Hunt's claim of 'peak emissions' attacked by climate experts –
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/mar/15/greg-hunts-claim-carbon-emissions-have-peaked-attacked-by-climate-experts

Peak emissions?! Tell him he's dreamin' – http://www.climatecouncil.org.au/peak-emissions-greg-hunt / climate change carbon dioxide CO2 global warming Greg Hunt claim peak emissions attacked climate experts Australia’s emissions almost certainly rise policies that don’t put limits increases from industry experts expressed deep scepticism prediction environment minister Greg Hunt Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions peaked 10 years ago peak emissions Hunt told ABC’s AM program best estimate surpass 2005 levels best judgment advice information department peak emissions 2005-06 history Australia below that figure government’s most recent forecast projected emissions 2020 emissions slightly below 2005 levels emissions rising 560m tonnes 2014–15 593m tonnes 2019–20 level slightly below 2005 highs government projections following decade until 2030 showed emissions rising latest data longer-term predictions government’s Direct Action policies independent experts predict Australia’s emissions rise under current policies limits on emission increases industry electricity generation land-clearing deeply sceptical Hunt’s peak emissions in 2005 claim Hugh Grossman executive director RepuTex analysis government’s own data Australia’s emissions would continue to grow no peak in sight latest government figures showed emissions growing again Australia’s emissions growth rate among the highest of all developed countries almost all developed economies have begun to cut their emissions China United States Australia’s national emissions remain on a growth pathway exceed historic high no peak emissions RepuTex analysis government’s figures national emissions growth continue to rise climate policies emissions reduction fund Australia’s projected emissions growth projected net increase in emissions 2020 Australia’s calculated abatement task actual national emissions government policy government’s updated estimates strong upward trajectory chief executive of the Climate Institute John Connor extraordinary comments Greg Hunt enormous credibility gap government’s current policies Australia’s emissions rising for the past two years land clearing escalating Queensland New South Wales future of the emissions reduction fund safeguards policy no limits on coal-fired electricity generation safeguards policy stop increases industrial emissions imposes very few limitations emissions peaked decline government’s current policies government spending $2.5bn buy emissions reductions Direct Action policy review policy next year /