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