Chris Trumbo

After reading the article I can clearly see there are some misconception about the  Iphones antenna. The iPhone has had many issue in the release of their new product annually, but this is to be expected when you are the leading pioneer in the phone industry. The Iphones issues are not just because of a cheap antenna, but also have to do with static electricity and the software programing of the phone. Firstly every body has small amount of electricity following through their body. One of the issue the iPhone had was that the electricity from our bodies was interfering with the cell reception of the phone. That is why Apple offered to either compensate the customer with cash or a free case to fix the problems. The case was used to eliminate the direct contact between the user and the phone which fixed the problem. Unfortunately some people decided that taking responsibility for their actions was to much and tried suing apple which resulting in nothing. The result of the lawsuit turned out to be what Apple had originally offered “$15”, and actually the people got less because they had to pay court and lawyer fees which probably ended up costing them money. Also the most people don’t know that the iPhone for Verizon and the iPhone for AT&T are different. When making a call the Verizon version make the call is primary goal and stops trying to update new information such as text messages, emails, ect. While the iPhone for AT&T continuos to search for incoming updates and that is another major reason for dropped calls. If Apple knows its product is not as strong as in some areas as other than it is still ok for them to it put it on the selves.

Blog #2 - Sarah Start

The article I chose was titled “Should you feel guilty about buying you iPhone” from CNN.com by Steve Kovach and was published on January 31, 2012. The ethical issue about poor working conditions in China at the company who manufactures most of Apple’s products, Foxconn, is brought to light. It has been reported that this company is a 24-hour operation with twelve hour shifts with most workers on the job 6 days a week. You do the math that is a 72 hour work week, and that is, in my opinion, is way too much. Employees and their families live in a village at the factory and their lives revolve around producing Apple products. Working conditions are so bad supposedly that several employees have attempted suicide. They tried committing suicide by throwing themselves off the buildings. Others have died or were severely injured in accidents such as explosions. The public is outraged that there are such working conditions and that they are being allowed in China. The reason the company keeps things the way they are is to keep the prices down. Kovach makes an excellent point that the price can only be raised so much before consumers stop buying their product. It is a difficult situation because Apple’s products are the best in the industry, so we basically turn a blind eye to the unethical working conditions in the oversea factories. The company is pocketing millions of dollars every year and has $100 billion just sitting in a bank. I think that some of this money could be put towards improving working conditions and employee benefits overseas. The problem with this is that the companies are abroad and not owned by Apple and therefore they can’t make the rules. So they would have to pay Foxconn to do those things and that is what the money would be going to. Since the money would be coming out of excess profit I do not think that the price of Apple products would have to be increased a significant amount. I think consumers would still pay prices that are slightly higher because Apple simply has the best products in the market.

Apple settles class-action suit over iPhone 4 antenna problem By Doug Gross, CNNTech Wed February 22, 2012

IPhone 4 owners will have the opportunity to be reimbursed by Apple for the major reception problem with the phone. The popular IPhone 4 came out in June 2010 and complaints arose immediately about frequent dropped calls. Apple realized that the problem was caused by the location of the antenna which is on the edge of the phone, in order to make it slimmer. Holding the phone in a certain spot would cause it to drop calls. Apple attempted to resolve this problem by offering a free case to all IPhone 4 owners that would protect the antenna and resolve or greatly reduce the problem. Many people did not take advantage of this offer and many lawsuits came up that were all merged into one case. Under the settlement Apple is offering 15 dollars to all eligible customers that can be redeemed online over a 120 day period. I would be really upset if I bought a new cell phone for hundreds of dollars and I could not hold a conversation on it. I understand the lawsuits that became of this problem. In my opinion, everyone who bought the IPhone 4 should have been upgraded with a free IPhone 4S. I doubt that a case could completely solve the reception problem and what would 15 dollars solve? You would think that Apple would have better business ethics to solve this problem. With the amount of money that people spend to get these high technology phones, they should not have to deal with performance problems. I understand that problems like this can happen but they should also be taken care of much more professionally. It is not like Apple does not have enough money to reimburse their customers. It also surprised me that Steve Jobs said that the problem was just as bad on other phones and did not look to resolve the issue right away. You would think that a company who is competing to take over the technology industry would look to make their products noticeably better than other companies. This would definitely make me and probably many other consumers think twice before I bought an apple product in the future.

blog#3 mataiah crossley

Mataiah Crossley

ITM 123, 03

Blog #3

Apple settles class-action suit over iPhone 4 antenna problem

By Doug Gross, CNN

Updated 5:36 AM EST, Wed February 22, 2012 |

                The article was about the company apple and the iPhone 4 when it was first released. The iPhone was receiving complaints from customer because their calls were being dropped. The antenna on the phone was cheap and apple still sent it out. This is wrong because if a company knows that there is something wrong with their product they should not continue to sell that product. Unfortunately the Apple company did not feel the same way and they let out there product to the public.

                Blogs were screaming out “antenna gate” due to their problems that they were receiving with the iPhone 4’s reception. Not only that but Apple’s new release the smartphone also had antenna problems but the company did not quickly respond to that. The Apple Company however, did respond to the iPhone 4 problems they gave out the option for 15 dollars or a new case for the customers who purchased the non-working cell phones. The problem seemed to be, the antenna on the phones were dropping calls because the way people would hold the phones would block the signal leaving no service reception and that was a big problem. They called this the “death grip” meaning the way someone held the cell phone. Most people refused to take the free case and the money that was being offered by the company which started the lawsuit. Apple did indeed put off the complaints and refused to help until there CEO’s became involved. Multiple lawsuits were combined onto one which made the lawsuit pretty huge. The whole lawsuit concluded to the 15 dollars as before and the customers will have 120 days to respond and receive their cash .Apple released, www.iPhone4Settlement.com, has been set up and will allow customers to respond.

                I believe that if a company has knowledge that their product is not effective they should not be able to sell it. It is really hard to believe that a company that has so much success has low ethics. As we discussed in class ethics is very important to have. Just like the blog about Facebook it seems to me that very big companies seem to be doing something in a way that they should not be doing.

Facebook pictures

(Ars Technica) -- Facebook is still working on deleting photos from its servers in a timely manner nearly three years after Ars first brought attention to the topic. The company admitted on Friday that its older systems for storing uploaded content "did not always delete images from content delivery networks in a reasonable period of time even though they were immediately removed from the site," but said it's currently finishing up a newer system that makes the process much quicker. In the meantime, photos that users thought they "deleted" from the social network months or even years ago remain accessible via direct link. The problem: "deleted" photos never go away When we first investigated this phenomenon in 2009, we discovered that photos "deleted" from Facebook seemingly never go away if you have a direct link to the image file on Facebook's servers. Users who might have had second thoughts about posting a photo -- whether it was because they didn't want retaliation from an employer, wanted to avoid family drama, or uploaded a photo of a friend without their permission—could certainly remove the image from Facebook's main user interface, but as long as someone had a direct link to the .jpg file in question, the photo would remain accessible for an indefinite amount of time. When we asked Facebook about it, we were told that the company was "working with our content delivery network (CDN) partner to significantly reduce the amount of time that backup copies persist." But when we followed up on the story more than a year later, our "deleted" photos were still accessible via direct link. That's when the reader stories started pouring in: we were told horror stories about online harassment using photos that were allegedly deleted years ago, and users who were asked to take down photos of friends that they had put online. Facebook striking it rich Should you buy into Facebook's IPO? Unveiling Facebook 'secrets' There were plenty of stories in between as well, and panicked Facebook users continue to e-mail me, asking if we have heard of any new way to ensure that their deleted photos are, well, deleted. For example, one reader linked me to a photo that a friend of his had posted of his toddler crawling naked on the lawn. He asked his friend to take it down for obvious reasons, and so the friend did -- in May of 2008. As of this writing in 2012, I have personally confirmed that the photo is still online, as are several others that readers linked me to that were deleted at various points in 2009 and 2010. (Amusingly, after publishing the 2010 followup, Facebook appeared to delete my photos from its CDN that I had linked in the piece. The company never offered me any explanation, but my photos were the only ones that were deleted at that time. Other "deleted" photos that I had saved links to -- ones that weren't from my account and were deleted even earlier than mine—remained online.) Facebook has admitted that the site has never worked properly when coming to deleting photos. Suprisingly atleast admitting to that because it seems to be a pretty big deal. I would have thought facebook would have done a better job of hiding that fact. It seems like it is a pretty big deal to people because they dont want there photos stuck on facebook or floating around the internet. At the same time does it really matter. People are going to still use facebook no matter what it does with its pictures. They could have them all on google and people would still use the site. It's an addiction to people, it's kind of pathetic really. This article just shows that because no matter what bad things you here about facebook people are going to still use the site. Facebook also even said that yes they have been so called working on the problem for three years. There trying to tell us that the problem is so hard to deal with it's been three years and they cant come up with something to delete photos permanetly. To me it seems they really dont care about the issue because ultimatley does anyone, like I said evveryone is still going to keep there facebook. They do say though that they are working on a system that will completley delete pictures after 45 days. 45 days thats crazy, they cant figure something out in less time. The problem they say is that the photo storage needs a newer system. They say they have this feature almost completed. I guess will see if that actually happens. I agree with the guy writing the article who says I'll believe it when I see it. Facebook has said a lot about what might happen, they need to do something and be practive and actuall do something. If they mess this one up it actually may look bad on the company. For everyones privacy and for facebooks sake I hope the issue gets resolved, although no matter what I think facebook will be OK. At the same time I think people should watch what pictures they put on the internet. If you are going to post something on the internet be prepared for people to see what you put up there. All it can do is hurt you. Someone will see a dumb photo of you and make judgement. No one really looks at facebook and thinks that a picture will make you "look good." Anything on the internet is most likely going to stay in circulation somehow so watch what you put on the internet.

iPhone 4 Antenna Issues

"Apple settles class-action suit over iPhone 4 antenna problem"

February 22, 2012

CNN.com

by Doug Gross

The wildly popular and technological sensation iPhone 4 was released and like its predecessors, had huge sales. The new Apple product was headline news and rose to the top of the sales charts as the number one selling smart phone. The phone had issues though as many customers reported calls being randomly dropped. The problem was found to be a faulty antenna. Apple tried slimming the phone down compared to it'd predecessor, the iPhone 3 and 3Gs.

However, by making the phone thinner, the antenna was warped to fit in the phone and caused it to lose reception at times when being held in a certain position, which became known as the "death grip".

Customers responded with anger as the phone cost several hundred dollars and is supposed to be the elite smart phone. Apple responded slowly but eventually answered, apologizing and eventually fixed the problem. Many customers however were still dissatisfied as they were still stuck with they're faulty iPhone. Lawsuits were filed against Apple and were finally solved recently with Apple agreeing to give customers $15 a piece or a new phone case.

I think this is a very poor result of a lawsuit as $15 seems like chump change compared to the $600 that the phone is worth. On a larger scale though it seems like a very generous solution as more than 20 million people are eligible for the $15 payout meaning Apple could shell out over $300,000,000 over a faulty antenna that drops calls, sometimes.

It is Apple's fault for making a flawed product but they are not 100% to blame. The cell phone market and demand for smart phones today is increasing at an alarming rate. The demand for slimmer, more compact, but also more powerful and efficient phones must be very stressful for phone companies. This is especially true for Apple as they have received the reputation among consumers to have the most elite products, most advanced technology, and the best products. With competitors also trying to give consumers better products, the smart phone industry is, in my opinion, the most hostile market in the economy. In the past 10 years the level of advancement in cell phones has been astronomical and beyond impressive. It's the competition between companies and the demand from consumers that has caused the advancement. It is because of this hostility that drives Apple to create the most elite products and it is completely understandable, in my opinion, for at least one flaw to happen under so much pressure.

It was Apple's fault and they should have tested the iPhone 4 more extensively before releasing it to consumers. However it is very generous of them, on a broad scale, to give something back to consumers as an apology. $300,000,000+ in reparations would severely cripple other companies, probably even fault production of future products. This may damage Apple financially, but in the long run, on a broad scale, this will make Apple viewed as a better company who takes blame for their mistakes and continues to develop better products at an elite company. It's of these reasons I commend Apple for their actions in the lawsuit and consider them the best corporation in the world.

10 Steps to Smartphone Privacy

10 Steps to Smartphone Privacy
By: Eric Zeman
February 18, 2012
9:05 AM
Information Week

Smartphones have become a very big part of our society. Whether you have an iPhone or any other smartphone, it is a big advantage to have one now. You can check your email, use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and even play games. Smartphones offer a lot but there can be a lack of privacy at times. There are in fact a few ways to keep your smartphone contents private though. Every time you are done using your phone, you should lock the phone and put a password lock on it. This will prevent anyone from getting into your personal data. Also by making your screen lock after 1-5 seconds it will be much better for the user. Many people don’t take the time to lock it so a quick lock time would be good for those people. Many people leave their smartphones unattended and that is a good time for someone to swipe it and get into the phone and look at everything that you have. If you get up to go get something then simply just take it with you. Another way that smartphone users can keep their phones private is by being careful about what apps they download. Not all apps are from trusted sources. Some apps have not been approved by an official app store and they can be more invasive. An easy tip for any phone user is to not give your phone to a stranger. If a stranger comes up to you and asks you to make an emergency call home may be someone that you cannot trust. If they need to make a call then make the call for them and put the phone on speakerphone. These are all very good tips. As a smartphone user, I feel like I have to keep my phone as close to me as possible because it can be very easy to lose and easy for someone to take it. I always make it a priority to lock my phone when I am done using my phone because you never know when someone is going to try to do. Smartphones are a huge part of our generation and it is important to keep your privacy with all of the apps and information on them.

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play/304850

5 ways to secure your Facebook profile in a post-Timeline world

After reading this blog post, it is clear that there have been many new increases in today’s technology. Since Facebook is a huge website that over millions of people are involved with, it has a possibility for people to have problems with not having enough privacy that some individual want to have. Facebook typically features, wall posts, photo’s, notes, games, and is a great way to stay connected and keep in touch with friends.  Since the web is always changing its layouts and designs, the new year called for a new set up for Facebook. The newest feature is called Facebook’s timeline. Timeline posts all current and past activitieses on Facebook through each year by showing posts, photos, comments and likes.  Though I have not step up a Timeline yet for self, it seems that soon every profile will have a timeline sooner or later. With a new layout, come new settings. It’s important for people to change privacy settings. This blog was able to show what types of ways people can change their privacy settings.  It shows that you can allow or block who can look up your timeline, who can request you, send you messages, see your posts, or post of your time line. By having these options, people can create these settings to fit what they feel most comfortable with. Its important to keep up with privacy settings when looking for jobs, because sometimes companies will look at someone’s Facebook to see what type of person they think someone is. Another new setting is being able to review a post or a tag by another friend, before it appears on your timeline.  Another important setting is turning on and off if friends can check you into places. Being checked in is broadcasting where you are, and can be seriously dangerous. I will definitely be turning this off when my Facebook upgrades to timeline. Statuses are made for people to share “what’s on you mind?” This is also something that can be altered as to who can see it or not. There is an option for the public, friends, only me, or custom.  Reading this blog has opened up my eyes to be careful what to post, and to make sure I put the necessary settings on my Facebook.

http://w.youtube.com/watch?v=EtGTJdU03xY

http://www.facebook.com/about/timeline

10 Steps to Smartphone Privacy, February 18 2012, InformationWeek

10 Steps to Smartphone Privacy: Keeping your Smartphone safe and secure can keep you out of many issues and problems. If you ever lost your Smartphone or had it stolen very valuable data can be stolen or lost. Most people these days keep their whole life in their phone weather its contacts, banking, or business. The 10 steps listed in this article are great ideas to keep you safe and out of trouble. The first and best idea is to set up a pass code on your Smartphone. This prevents anyone to get into your phone except for you and anyone else who knows the code. Another great idea is accessing the “Find my iPhone” service which can have you lock, or track your phone if lost. Another thing is to always keep your phone in your possession and never laying around especially in public places. This could lead to someone accessing things people aren’t supposed to see and stealing information. Even if someone asks to borrow your phone, it can be dangerous. They can secretly be taking important things on your phone. Another step I believe is important in keeping your phone safe is to not download apps form an untrusted source. An example is for instance if you jailbreak your iPhone it is obligated you have to download “Cydia Apps”. This is an example of an untrusted source. Jail breaking your iPhone is a bad idea because the apps from Cydia are not approved by the official App Store. Since they are not approved, they are not trusted. In my opinion, I think all of these steps in Smartphone privacy are great and accurate. If you follow these ideas they will surely keep you safe and your information private. Having your Smartphone in the wrong hands can be dangerous and harmful. Things like pictures, family, banking and business are things you should take serious and take the extra steps in keeping these important things safe. There is no worst feeling than knowing that your person information is someone else’s hands so make sure that does not happen by following the proper steps. http://www.livebinders.com/play/play/304850

“5 ways to secure your Facebook profile in a post-Timeline world”

“5 ways to secure your Facebook profile in a post-Timeline world”

February 7, 2012

COMPUTERWORLD

            Facebook has become one of the most popular ways for a person to stay in contact with everyone in his or her social circle. With this begin so it is becoming even more important for a person to control what they allow certain people to see when they view their page. With the introduction of timeline to facebook also came many new options regarding privacy. Timeline allows people to view a person’s information all the way back to when they first started using the site. When a person first started using facebook they might not have been as cautious with what they shared as they are today. This could become problematic if a person is friends with their boss or coworkers on facebook or they are in search of a job. This article shared all of the important steps a person should take in order to ensure their information is secure and only being shared with the people they choose.

            I believe that facebook is becoming more and more of a serious issue. If the site is not used appropriately, a person could end up ruining opportunities for themselves, or even be faced with problems in their current situation. The people most affected by this are people in search of a job, applying to colleges, or currently working. Many colleges, businesses and companies are now taking into account a person’s facebook when evaluating their application. I think that the steps shared in this article are very important and that all people should become aware of the changes in their privacy setting with the change to timeline. One negative of the constant changes to facebook is the fact that many people do not realize what information some people are able to see after the changes. With facebook becoming such a threat to a person’s future, I believe that everyone should realize their responsibility of checking their privacy settings frequently. Personally, after reading this article I logged on to facebook and checked my privacy settings. I had done this recently but since getting timeline I hadn’t. The one thing that I don’t like about timeline is that it gives someone the ability to look at your facebook from years ago. I am a completely different person than I was when I first logged on to facebook and having the ability to hide certain things from my page was something I quickly took advantage of. 

Microsoft Fends Off iCloud With Windows 8 SkyDrive Push

Microsoft Fends Off iCloud With Windows 8 SkyDrive Push/Cloudline/Wired.com Publication Date: January 2012 Source: Mike Barton Within this new decade many improvements have been made with our technology. Most recently has been Siri to the iPhone4 and before that was iCloud technology to the iPhone4 as well. These new additions have helped out our generation greatly. Siri has set the bar at a new high for technology achievements. The fact that we can talk into a phone and it programs itself to do what we say is unbelievable and helpful. Yes it might increase laziness but that is beside the point. Siri is hand off ability brought to the iPhone4; I believe it is a very helpful tool. Now us dumb teenagers do not have to text and drive rather we can just speak into our phone and say what we want and again say send. The iCloud on the other hand has a similar aspect. I use iCloud on my phone and what it is, is a hands free connection to your computer. Say you want to buy music or take a photo but to download it onto your computer is a hassle. Well all that you have to do is program your phone under settings to iCloud so it can automatically download on your computer as it happens on your phone. All it takes is a push of a button! Now this can apply to almost all of the apple products; it applies to the iPad, iPhone4’s, and I believe the newest iTouch. We were recently assigned a project where we must record a conversation or something audio in digital applications class. If we wanted to we could record a conversation of my friends and I on my iPhone. It would automatically send to my computer and be ready for use in our video. This way I can not worry about using a microphone or other technologies that are not at finger-tip. This article focuses on Microsoft and how it is now competing with iCloud for their cloud. This personally will not be as successful I believe. Mike tries to say that this will appeal to other users that do not use apple but what he might not be informed of is that as long as you have iTunes on your computer then you can use iCloud. Although, he does make a point of the SkyDrive which will assist all Droids and other smart phones that are not an iPhone.

10 Steps to Smartphone Privacy

10 Steps to Smartphone Privacy

In the wrong hands, a smartphone can be a lethal weapon. If you were to lose your smartphone, whoever ends up with it will have access to private information such as your contacts, phone history, and banking information. Someone may simply be able to see private conversations of yours or photos that were not meant to be seen by others. This is why you should think twice before letting strangers use your phone to make an “emergency call” or any other reason, you never know when they will just take off with your phone. To maintain your phone security, there are many simple steps which you can take to protect it.

First of all, set up a passcode for your smartphone. This can be either a four number combination or a word of your choosing or a word with numbers. This way if you ever misplace your phone or someone else has it, they will not be able to enter your phone and find out your private information. Many people do not like using passcodes on their phone because it becomes a pain to enter it every time you want to use your phone. Always keep your phone with you; pretty self-explanatory, if you have your phone with you at all times it makes it hard to lose and hard for people to obtain it. Use the Find My iPhone app just in case you lose it, this app will track it down and help you find it on your computer. Only trust your smartphone to people that you actually trust. Giving it to a stranger might end up in you losing your phone forever. Make sure you keep the phone up to date with all the new software updates. Keep the location settings on the smartphone accurate in case it goes missing. Be sure to make sure you only get apps from trusted sources. Some apps may come with unpleasant attachments that can cause damage to your phone. Encrypt the smartphone data, by doing this you will be able to save all of the information on the phone and have access to it even if the phone is stolen.

10 Steps to Smartphone Privacy

I read the article “Apple ‘determined’ to improve conditions at plants in china”. This article is about abuse going in in the plants in china and the abuse ranges from a lot of different things. Abuses at Chinese plants that are run by the manufacturer Foxconn have started to gained recent attention in news reports, those reports are saying that the workers are suffering from long working hours, underage workers and a secretive, and a militaristic culture, due to the high demand of famous products such as the iPhone and the iPad. This news for the computer giant has become a rare public relations problem. The Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke about the underage workers saying that they do not work with chain suppliers who intentionally hire underage workers and if they find out that supplier does do hire underage labor they consider it is a “firing offense”. Cook also commented on the long work hour violations and said that an Apple worker works no more than 60 hours a week, but that already is 20 hours more a week then an average American worker works in a week. During the interview the topic had switched over to the fact that the company has 98 million dollars, and were questioning if that was going to go out to shareholders based on the fact that it is way more money than the company needs to run. With the huge demand for Apple products like last quarter alone selling 37 million iPhones. Due to the huge demand for the products I believe that the company realized they need to keep up with the supply and demand, in doing so they have “bended” in their eyes the rules to how to get things done. They are increasing the work hours in order to make more phones by a certain period of time, and they are increasing workers by hiring underage kids in order to get more phones made as well. This is not fair to the workers in anyway and was exposed by news reporters. Apple claims they are determined to better the working conditions for the workers, and refuse to hire underage workers as well.

10 Steps to Smartphone Privacy February 18, 2012 09:05 AM Eric Zeman The article I read is about smartphones and your privacy. Although we may think its all good that our smartphones can do just about anything, it also puts us in a lot of risk. If your smartphone got into the wrong hands then it could expose all of your information to a person. You don’t want a total stranger knowing about you, you’re contacts, your location, banking and more. The article talks about 10 steps to help prevent that from happening. Although I do agree with many of these points I don’t think it’s necessary for you to take all of these actions. 1. Lock your phone- This talks about how if you just put a passcode on your phone it prevents a lot of people from being able to see it. Even though some people know how to crack those codes, I feel like that one step would really protect your phone from a lot of different people. 2. Use 'Find My iPhone' Or Similar Services- Smartphones now offer apps where you can track your smartphone if it is ever lost. This approach will really make you feel a lot better about losing your phone because you know you will be able to track it at any point and increase your chances of getting it back. 3. Don’t Leave Your Smartphone Unattended- This is pretty much self-explanatory. If you don’t want someone to take your phone don’t leave it somewhere where they would have a chance. 4. Don’t Give Your Phone to Strangers- If someone you don’t know or trust needs to “make a call” make the call for the and put it on speaker phone so you know it can be trusted. 5. Keep Your Smartphone Up-to-Date- The system updates that your phone always recommends usually has more and more security settings so it’s good to download them. 6. Manage Location Settings- Many apps such as Twitter or Facebook “Show your Location” when you send a post. It’s better to disable that feature on websites. 7. Do App Due Diligence- This just explains how you have to read about an app before you download it, because it may send your information to third party companies.\ 8. Don’t Download Apps From Untrusted Sources- This is for people who jailbreak your device. It’s not good to download apps from untrusted sources 9. Watch Those Attachment- Make sure not to just open any attachment before checking to make sure it’s from someone trusted 10. Encrypt Smartphone Data- If you do this it makes your phone still have some privacy even if someone gets it and breaks the passcode. http://informationweek.com/news/security/mobile/232601089

Steve Copeland-5 ways to secure your Facebook profile in a post-Timeline world

Almost a full percentage of the population on earth has a Facebook account. At one point it was the hottest form of social media online and still is today. Facebook has many pros and cons. It is used to help many business firms find new employees as well as help find out what type of personality each one of their employees withhold. The biggest problem with Facebook is the content that is posted on personal profiles. It can ruin someone’s career such as a young student looking for a job out of school due to the unacceptable content on the student’s profile. There is five ways to secure your Facebook to avoid any issues with this dilemma. The five ways to secure your Facebook are to limit your connections, tailor your tags, rein in app permissions, stop others from taking your info with them, and also reduce your social footprint.
Limiting your connections is friending people on Facebook in an appropriate manner. In other words, only accept your real friends. You never know who could be looking at your profile and find something that could hurt you in the near future. The next step to securing your Facebook is tailoring your tags. Tailoring your tags consists of removing any photos that you are tagged in that may be inappropriate such as photos with underage drinking or drug usage. Photos like these can result in the loss of a job and it is crucial that these photos are to be removed. The next step is to rein in app permissions. Apps will mine your profile information as often as needed. Sometimes even when the app isn’t being used it is still monitoring your profile. All apps on your profile have an edit button that allows you to enable the apps and remove those that may be putting you in danger. The next step to securing your profile is stopping others from taking your info with them. Others may be able to bring your personal information with them when they use apps and websites. There are 17 category listen info boxes on your profile in the settings department. To prevent others from using your personal data against you, you simply just uncheck the boxes that apply to you. Finally, to secure your profile to the fullest you need to reduce your social footprint. In other words you must watch what you post on your timeline because everyone can see it, even several years later. To solve this issue you just click on the X to a recent activity update on your timeline and select hide similar activity so that it is removed from your profile.
If you follow all of these five steps to securing your Facebook, you will surely have no problems in the future with content on social media that can hurt your chances of receiving a job out of college or even getting in trouble with higher authorities such as the police.

By Logan Kugler
February 7, 2012 06:00 AM ET

Verizon and Redbox team up to battle Netflix

Verizon and Redbox team up to battle Netflix

Its new to my eyes that Netflix and Redbox are made by two different companies. I thought Netflix made Redbox for those viewers out there that didn’t want to make a Netflix account but still wanted to watch their movies. Teaming up with a major cell phone company. I feel that Verizon and Redox will beat out Netflix if they do decide to work together. There is so many different things that they can offer to the viewers out there. I feel that there will be a lot of coupons that people will have directly on their phone from these two linking together. Viewers will get a text saying what movies are on DVD and then they know when to pick them up, and it would also tell them what movies they have in stock and which movies are taken. This a great idea and these two companies will go very far. They have to be very careful and keep what they’re doing on the low. If Netflix finds out they will try to do the same thing with another phone company. If this happens, i feel that Netflix will beat out Redox. With Netflix account you can watch a movie straight from home. Now if you have Netflix on your phone you can watch a movie on your phone. This would be great for people on the go, on a long trip and on a plane. I feel that if Netflix links up with company they will definitely beat out Redbox. If Redbox wants to be successful and do better, they have to lay low with working with Verizon. They can’t let other businesses know just yet because if Netflix finds out there are going to want to do the same thing, and i feel they will be much better. What do you think?

Microsoft Fends Off iCloud With Windows 8 SkyDrive Push

Microsoft has been working hard in developing a response to Apple’s upcoming new release, Mountain Lion which will include iCloud. Microsoft has announced that their newest operating system, Windows 8, will include SkyDrive. The creation of these “cloud” services provides users with a way to access their information from anywhere. With these ambitious goals come safety concerns which need to be recognized. Once these products hit stores, web sharing and file storage will continue to grow as an industry.

Microsoft’s new operating system has been developed using the newest programing languages and tools. All of the cloud services will be compatible with touch-interface such as tablets, this is in efforts to compete with Apple’s iPad. With these two companies pushing the “cloud” idea into the industry, a “new generation of Windows and Mac users will expect — and pay — like they do for certain mobile cloud integration, and not think twice about it.” This is bound to bring incredible sales revenue to both companies.

With all of these users posting important information on a web based hard drive, safety becomes a main concern. Companies are beginning to sprout which provided protective services for cloud products. Companies such as IBM, Cloud Passage, and Rackspace Cloud market security to cloud users. Charging monthly fees like any other provided service, these companies should be extremely profitable in upcoming years.

Attached is a link to an article pertaining to the security of cloud products.

http://www.webpronews.com/google-issues-cloud-safety-advice-2010-10

Blog #1

Biography Alex Di Nardo came from Wellington Florida this year to Nichols College. Born March 14, 1993 in Wellington Florida. He’s had many accomplishments; one of his greatest ones has been graduating from Wellington High School. It was a challenge for him because he has a learning disability. Di Nardo has trouble in reading and writing. He said the key to combining school and football is “balance.” "You have to have had even amount of time to do both.” But there was that one exception when he put a lot more effort into schoolwork to get his GPA up so he wouldn’t be cut from the football team. Freshmen going into Sophomore year he had below 2.0 so he couldn’t play football but the coach sat him down and told him that this is a crucial wake up call and to start getting him act together. Coach Romano told him if he can get Honor Roll he would allow him to sign a waiver to continue playing. Di Nardo immediately realizes how vital it is for him to begin focusing in his studies. He accomplished raising his GPA up and actually kept it on The HONOR ROLL ever since, this has been a lesson he has never forgotten. Di Nardo gets the most support from his big Italian family and his amazing girlfriend Manuela. They’re there every step of the way. His older brother Nick is a very big impact on his life. Nick also being an athlete taught him to stay strong and carry on throughout all the bad moments. Manuela is there for Alex throughout all the rough times and helps him stay on the right track. He states that being away from her is torture and a big sacrifice specially when he went off to Nichols College. College in Massachusetts is incomparable to Florida particularly because of the weathers are completely different. You can tell it was a whole new life when he relocated up north, new friends and a new atmosphere. This should defiantly be a unforgettable experience for him.

Kinect

Kinect could make its way to Laptops
By Christina Bonnington, WIRED
Updated 9:42 AM EST, Mon January 30, 2012 | Filed under: Gaming and Gadgets

Microsoft, the company that brought us computer products, Xbox, and now Kinect, has been working to develop a new product that could change the way we use our laptops. The Kinect system that has been made available to Xbox users is soon to be available in laptops. Imagine if we could scroll through our computers with a swipe of our hand. Many other companies have been working to develop similar devices. SoftKinetic has a similar product out on the market that has many similarities, but the biggest difference between the two is that the SoftKinetic product can be used as close as “5.9 inches away”. Other electronics providers have taken an interest in this subject. LG and Samsung are working on this “gesture recognition” and also voice controls. This Kinect laptop is projected to arrive with the release of Windows 8.
This product is an amazing contribution to the evolution of technology. Not only do we have these super computers that can do almost anything we wish them to, but now companies working on “gesture recognition” is just amazing. If we could access files on our computer completely hands free using only our voice and gesture, more doors would open into videogames, robotics, and manufacturing processes.

Facebook

Alex Di Nardo

Facebook Over 3 years later, "deleted" Facebook photos are still online, Tuesday February 7, 2012 CNN.com Tech ................................................................................ After deleting your Facebook photo or anytime you put your picture online, it is still there for the world to see. It's because other people can take your photos and save them on to their computer. Facebook has stated that their older systems continue to store photos and other information even after people delete their photos or even profiles sometimes. Frederic Wolen’s said in a statement that Facebook is working on a new system that will delete the pictures permanently once a person decides to delete it. Over the last decade there has been occurrences where people have thought their Facebook photos have been deleted but really they haven’t been and other people have found them and either harassed them with these photos. In some instances the photos have caused public outrage in the media an example of this would be when Katie Reese, had her title of Miss Nevada and because of pictures on Facebook of her participating in underage drinking and other scandalous activities she had her title taken back from her. Facebook isn’t the nicest website you’ll ever come across, people report about harassments all the time. In the article that I read, it says, “But when we followed up on the story more than a year later, our "deleted" photos were still accessible via direct link. That's when the reader stories started pouring in: we were told horror stories about online harassment using photos that were allegedly deleted years ago, and users who were asked to take down photos of friends that they had put online.” “Long story short, Wolens claims that Facebook is on the verge of fixing up its content systems so that "deleted" photos are really, truly deleted from the CDN within 45 days. But with the process not expected to be finished until a couple months from now—and unfortunately, with a company history of stretching the truth when asked about this topic—we'll have to see it before we believe it.” I think Frederic Wolen’s and his idea is great for Facebook. People always talk about their photos and are scared other people are looking at them, friends posting ugly photos, bad ones (drinking), and they are worried people are stocking/saving them.

Over 3 years, "deleted" Facebook photos are still online

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play/304850

In a article written by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica he states that years after investing Facebook and its policy for deleted photos and the fact they are still present on the web if the direct link is accessible. Even though on Facebook the desired photos that wish to be deleted are removed from the users profile. The users of Facebook wish to delete photos for various reasons, either to clean up there page for work purposes, or photos that were posted without their consent and also photos that display inappropriate behavior. Facebook horror stories were shared with Cheng in order to alert Facebook about the users concerns with the so-called deleted photos. Cheng brought this to the attention to Facebook and they replied that they are working on this feature and that this problem would soon be solved, the issue was presented in 2009 and still nothing has been done. Still in 2012 he informs us that nothing has been done. He contacted a spokes person by the name of Frederic Wolens via email and in response he explained that the photos that remained online were stuck in a legacy system that apparently never works properly and that they are currently working toward fixing.

            My reaction to this news brought about by Facebook is alarming. As a Facebook user I believed that once a photo was deleted it was gone. I was unaware that the photo could be viewed elsewhere. As a business student our professors remind us and warn us about the activity done on our profiles. I believe that Facebook should take action in fixing these issues to please their customers and users because some of the material and photos posted may be harassment and embarrassing to the people who wish to delete the photos. Hopefully Facebook will fix this issue in time, but not too much time. 

apple making money

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play/304850 Should you feel guilty for buying your iPhone? An article was published in CNN about apples newest products being made overseas. Reports are that the people who are making the products for really cheap. They are then selling the products for high prices here in the US and all over the world. Some people say that it is not fair that apple is running their business this way. Apple business is booming right now and they have been for years. Some people think that one of the big factors for this is how they pay very little for the products to be mad. People think that they should pay the people who work for them overseas more because frankly apple can afford to do that. Another problem that people have is that they are not keeping good conditions for the workers. It is not uncommon for people to not have good working conditions because it is cheaper that way. But the problem that people have with apple is that they have the extra money if they wanted to fix things up for the workers that are making them billions. I think that apple should improve conditions and pay there employes a little extra because they are such a rich company now. But I don't think that this is the biggest reason for apples success. Apples success is because of all the technology they have created. They have changed how people interact and the way people do things. From Macs too ipods too the Iphone they have made so many things that everybody wants. These are the reasons that Mac has made so much money

Robot Cleaner "A Game Changer." Ian Sullivan

First of I think I should recognize the lateness of this, but that is a fault of bad internet. At any rate I am here now and hope to get just a little credit. I am writing about the Robot Cleaner Xenex which is being heralded as a "Game Changer" in hospitals. The article is by Eilene Zimmerman and can be found at http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/26/technology/xenex_robot/index.htm. All information used here if from this article and belongs to CNN and those involved in the making of this article.


          The futuristic R2D2 like robot developed and produced by Xenex Co out of Austin Texas can disinfect a room in a hospital in five to ten minutes concentrating on high touch surfaces. Cruver, the CEO of the Xenex says, "It's easier to use than a vacuum." 

       

          "It also works. At Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, Mass., 1 in 129 patients came down a hospital-acquired infection in 2010. Last January, Cooley began using the Xenex device. It subsequently saw a 67% drop in infections from C. diff, a toxic superbug that can cause diarrhea, sepsis and death." 

The Xenex is an $80,000 piece of future tech but, according to the article hospitals spend about 35billion dollars a year to treat hospital acquired disease. Treating one case of MRSA, a common hospital disease, can run around 28,000 dollars for a hospital said Dr. Mary Jo Cagle, Chief Quality Officer for Cone Health,  a five Hospital Health Care System in North Carolina. 


            "'This has been a game-changer for us,' Cagle says.

Xenex's market is potentially huge. In the U.S. alone there are about 5,800 hospitals. Xenex's technology is currently in around two dozen hospitals, and the company hopes to have it in 240 by the end of this year. It's also moving into Europe and Asia."

         
             "Ramanan Laxminarayan, director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy in Washington D.C., says that as long as Xenex's technology is cost effective for hospitals, he sees little downside. "It already has an advantage in the marketplace because it doesn't require doctors or nurses to change their behavior or do more," he says."


Cone Health says it has already saved 3 million dollars by using the Xenex. So, the price is right and the future of health science is looking pretty bright. 

Verizon and Redbox

Verizon and Redbox team up to battle Netflix By David Goldman CNNMoneyTech February 6, 2012: 5:46 PM ET

Verizon Wireless and Redbox are teaming up to create a video streaming service. These two companies joining together should be big enough to rival Netflix. The new company did not release much information due to competition reason but they do claim that they will provide “new content” as opposed to the rather dated videos that are available on Netflix. Amazon and Hulu have also come out with instant video services trying to compete with Netflix but have not succeeded. I think that the merge of Verizon and Redbox is a great idea. The idea of instant video streaming is on the rise and today’s technology makes it possible. People can watch movies instantly on their phone or portable device from just about anywhere. Netflix has skyrocketed in the past couple years and has put other movie services such as blockbuster out of business. I have had Netflix on my Xbox since it first came out and know first-hand that it is unbelievably convenient and enjoyable. Although, I completely agree with the Coinstar CFO on his statement about Netflix only having old content. I have made this complaint myself. The new Redbox would take it to a whole new level by offering up to date television episodes and movies, forcing Netlfix to up its game. This will also be great for consumers because Netflix will now have a real competitor in the instant video streaming business. I know that Netflix recently raised their monthly subscription price, with new competition, they will no longer be a monopoly. This will most likely force Netflix to lower their prices in order to remain at the top. I think that what makes Netflix so successful is that they are available on game consoles, such as PlayStation 3 and Xbox. This basically offers a library of videos that you can watch at any time at the click of a button. My roommates and I use this service every day but a new service that allows us to watch up to date episodes and movies would be even better. The only way that I would stay with Netflix is if they matched it.

Redbox and verizon team up

Verizon and Redbox team up to battle Netflix By David Goldman @CNNMoneyTech February 6, 2012: 5:46 PM ET Verizon and Redbox are teaming up to make a comparable company to Netflix. The goal of verizon and redbox is to make a company that will be better and easier to acess then Netflix is. On Netflix you can only do certian things and use certian features. The goal of the two comapnies merging is to give more options and make it accesible through various different appliances. The companies will be merging together halfway through this year. You will be able to use this feature on your smart phone, tablets, and the television. Also all costumers just not Verizon will be able to use the netflix like system. Redbox has been working on expansion over the past year, and has been looking to partner up with a well known company. Finding Verizon seemed like a good fit, since they are a phone company, and you will be able to use this feature on your phone as well. Although Netflix has been dominating the internet Verizon and Redbox think they can pass them up. Netflixs rates have gone up as well. The monthly rates for Netflix are getting to high for some costumers. Which will make the new idea of Verizon and Rebox teaming up better. The company will be cheapre and also have more features then netflix. It will be less limited as well, you will have many more options with the new company not having to wait for movies to come out, they will just be there to pick from. Also having a huge company like verizon behind redbox in my opinion they will surpass redbox. I will definatly be checking out the new company and be looking to use it.

redbox and verizon Mataiah Crossley

Mataiah Crossley Professor Fluery-Lawson Digital apps ITM 123, 03

Netflix is company that offers online flat rate DVD and Blu-ray Disc rental-by-mail and video streaming in the United States (www.freedictionary.com). Netflix has out beat companies such as blockbuster and Hollywood video. It’s cheap and efficient and in an economy like this, Netflix is making progress. Yet Redbox has been catching up. Redbox Company is working together with Verizon which is also a well-known company that works with telephones, cable, technology etc. In the article it talks about how the two companies and their plan against Netflix. Even though details aren’t all out yet Redbox did say a year ago that were planning on combining their company with someone else and trying to form a partnership. It is now known that the partnership is being formed with Verizon, who will allow everyone to use this not only their customers. This will allow more costumers and more business will be provided to the both of these companies. I personally think that the partnership is a great idea. At first I didn’t understand why Redbox would choose Verizon for a company to be partners with, but then I realized all the things that Verizon has a part in. Verizon is a major company that is involved with a lot of different aspects of technology. Both of these companies can thrive on each other and make more business and outsell the one on top; Netflix. Netflix was a hit because not only did they send Netflix to your home for a decent price but you can also order Netflix to your computer. Netflix is a movie selling sensation. Now, they have not just one, but two major companies forming together to outsell them. This deal might make or break the two companies (Verizon and Redbox) in my opinion because not everyone even agrees with Verizon’s way to do business; so maybe, they might use their bias judgment against not just Verizon but Redbox costumers as well. I find the article very interesting and hope the businesses do very well; we just need more information on them.

Why Pinterest is 2012's hottest website?

Why Pinterest is 2012’s hottest website- CNN.com This article was published February 7th of 2012 by Pete Cashmore. There are so many different social networking sites online now. I remember years ago, when I was a little kid, many of my aunts and uncles including my parents were just figuring out how to e-mail it seems. There has been a huge improvement with communicating online. First we had blogs and chat rooms. When we first developed these it was like a whole new and strange movement was beginning its process. Technology has advanced so much in the past decade. The next that I recall is MySpace. I personally never had one because I had no interest but I do remember all of my friends using one and it was the “thing” to do. Taking pictures, writing song lyrics, and posting on others walls, you could say, was very time consuming and entertaining. Today we use Facebook and Twitter along with the occasional Blog. The more advanced Blog that we use is the Tumblr and also we have Flipboard, which makes news more visual for its audience. I personally only use Twitter and Facebook because they are the most popular and have the largest amount of followers. Facebook used to be extremely popular but now it has a competitor who seems to be taking the lead, Twitter. I find myself using Twitter much more than Facebook and I have had it longer. With Twitter you can say anything, add photos, and “tweet” at your friends and they receive it in seconds. I find Twitter more convenient than texting. Although, while Twitter and Facebook are all well and good the newest social network technology is called Pinerest. I only heard about the other day. I find it very fascinating. One reader commented, “Its becoming the great social sites now-a days And it can also helpful for bloggers too in driving traffic to their sites/blogs.” This reader has made a valid point other sites can lead people to your sites and blogs but with Pinterest you can do so much more. It is basically all of these sites like mySpace, Twitter, Facebook, and Blogger all combined with so much more. I see Pinterest as a virtual bulletin board that takes seconds to pin something up, like a photo or your personal status. I am very interested in creating my own Pinterest now. This is the new Phenomena.

Facebook's Faulty System

Over 3 years later, "deleted" Facebook photos are still online

Febuary 7, 2012

CNN.com Tech

I found this article to be more interesting than the other selected articles because I myself have been using Facebook since my Freshman year of high school, which was 4 years ago. For this reason I found it interesting and amazing that photos I personally may have deleted from my Facebook page could still be backed up on the Facebook system. To some this can be a scary thought. Some people delete photos for very specific and personal reasons and the thought of the photos still being backed up on the Facebook system can cause some anxiety and unrest. Computer hacking has become a serious problem in the past few years and it is a problem that has been known to uncover and spread personal information to the public. With this in mind it becomes all the more nerve racking for people who delete certain pictures because they may come to find the pictures resurface in the future.

I personally found this article to be extremely shocking and amazing. Facebook is a multi-billion dollar company and has over 700 million members world wide. For that reason you would think that their systems would be top notch and virtually flawless. It's even more shocking that they took so long to fix the problem after being made aware of it after Ars Technica first researched the problem in 2009.

I believe this article may cause Facebook to respond in swift and dramatic fashion as the company is currently in the works of filing for an IPO in order for the company to go public and be traded on the stockmarket. The new system that they are working on now will delete photos permanently within 45 days which is a dramatic improvement compared to the old system. One must also hold into account that with such high traffic and users, it's only natural for the system to run "a little" bit slow with deleting photos. 45 days is a lot better and reasonable compared to 3 years however it is still shocking that it took them so long to fix the problem.